Semper Fi
by InLoveWEric
Summary: Sookie has taken her job as the cheerleader for Jason's squad stationed in Afghanistan very seriously. What happens when they receive a new Staff Sergeant only eight months before they are due home? What will happen when that small gesture causes a chink in this man's armor? How will Sookie deal with caring for someone more than she thought possible? IWTS entry. AH
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hi there, I know that this is not what you have been waiting for, but I've entered IWTS 2012 Contest. This entry is a multi-chapter story entitled, Semper Fi.

It's based on the song, Semper Fi by Trace Adkins.

The contest has open polling yet, but I will let you know as soon as I do (The link to the blog can be found on my profile)

The story is planned to be under 10 chapters and will be finished very soon. I will let you know when Polling begins. But would love to know what you think. This is something very near and dear to my heart and I felt a pull to write it.

Thanks as always for reading….Lots of love.

I Write The Songs . CONTEST ENTRY

TITLE: Semper Fi

CHARACTERS: Sookie, Eric, Jason, Gran, Corbett, Niall, Crystal Norris, Alcide, Ramon, Stan Davis, Nora, Pam, Sam, Victor Madden, Felipe, et. al.

DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING. Ms. Harris is the creator and owner of these known characters.

PEN NAME: InLoveWithEric

BETA NAME: Sephrenia1, TexasEx

VIRGIN WRITER : NO

MULTI-CHAPTER: YES

TEASER: Sookie has taken her job as the cheerleader for Jason's squad stationed in Afghanistan very serious over the last two years. What happens when they receive a new Staff Sergeant only eight months before they are due home? He is a hard to read, no nonsense Marine with no time for fun, games, women and anything else, well human. That is until he receives his "Welcome Package" from one of his men's sister. What will happen when that small gesture causes a chink in this man's armor? Will it help him be a better soldier or could having his mind on other things than his men put them all in danger. Follow these two as they learn about one another and fall in love while living life on two separate sides of the world. AH – NC-17 for later.

***0***

Chapter 1 – Hello My Boys.

***0***

December 23rd, 2008 Wilmington International Airport, Wilmington NC

I shake my leg as I wait for the plane to taxi to the gate. Daddy looks at me and smiles but says nothing. I think by now he knows better. I would have walked here if it was faster and he damn well knows it. Hell Hadley's just as bad. We both want to get off this plane and see them. I know I've talked to him nearly every day since they left Afghanistan. Skype showed me his injuries weren't as bad as I had dreamed up in my mind. But still. I needed to touch him. I needed to feel that he was real. That is the only way I would believe it.

The last week has been death. Knowing that they were back and I couldn't see them. What is it with the Marines and all their rules? I wanted to see him, well, all of them. But most of all him, my man. He was lamenting last night about sleeping in a real bed. Hell, I know I've been sleeping in a bed for years while sometimes they were sleeping in a fox hole, but he was just too nuts about it.

"I'll remember that when you get home, baby." I said to him. "I will have to get you a big bed all to yourself."

"Love, if you even try to sleep anywhere else but beside me, we will be having issues," he growled.

"Gonna go all Devil Dog on me?" I asked.

"You are playing with fire, love; hot, red hot fire."

I shake myself thinking about how his voice made me feel. God damn it, they need to open the doors.

Not soon enough, the Pilot wishes us a happy stay in North Carolina or wherever our destination was today. I didn't wait for anything else. Grabbing my carry on, I launch myself at the door. The only thing getting me there before my cousin was that she had to help her son with his things. Yeah, I was so being a bad auntie but I didn't care. Okay, I cared a little but I needed off this plane.

Darting up the jet way, I make it through the door and search for the signs to baggage. I knew they all couldn't meet us at the gate. Since 9/11, that wasn't allowed. My family catches up to me and soon we passed the security check point and are headed toward the escalator. Hitting the first step I start looking around.

I quickly find them. They were all in their dress blues. Damn how I love them. Look at them, all with fresh high and tight haircuts. But my eyes quickly land on him. His arm is in the sling that I saw earlier in the week and his face is still a little bruised. But other than that he looks as gorgeous as ever.

Without knowing it, I start down the steps and when I reach him I'm at a full out run. Launching myself at him, he catches me as I wrap arms and legs around him. God, it feels better than I expected. Neither of us says a word as our lips meet. The kiss feels better than anything I've ever felt before. Nothing else matters but his lips on mine, his arms around me and his body touching as much of mine as he can. If we weren't in a crowded airport with my father and brother present, I might start peeling those blues right off him.

We separate. Not because we want to but because we both need air. He starts laughing.

"It is nice to finally meet you in person, Miss Stackhouse." He says with his panty dropping smirk.

"Well, the pleasure is all mine, Staff Sergeant Northman." I say to him.

"Now that's how a Marine says hello," I hear from behind me.

"Hu Ra!" I hear in response.

We all start laughing as Eric lowers me to the ground. I don't want to but I suspect he is having trouble holding me one handed.

"Semper Fi, Sarge ," Jason says to him.

"That she is men, that she is." He pulls me close and kisses me again.

I don't care who's around us. My boys are home. My Sergeant is home. Nothing else matters to me. Everything else will be fine.

***0***

January 15th, 2008 - Afghanistan

"Mail Call!" I hear the announcement. Hell that is the best announcement of the week, month, fuck the year. Yeah, mail call means home.

Nothing means more to me than my packages. Okay, nothing means more to my entire unit than my packages. There is a two word reason for that; Susannah Stackhouse. Sookie to me and to anyone who has known her for more than five minutes. She is smart, beautiful and the best sister any guy could ever have. I knew from the moment Momma and Daddy brought her home. Hell, I knew before that. But when she smiled at me for the first time, yeah I was hooked. I knew then that I would do anything for my sister.

"Stackhouse," I hear my name called.

The six guys standing with me let up a cheer. Yeah, Sookie has made a lot of friends in these guys. Not one of them would give up one of her packages. She has taken them all in like they're family. Well, that's just the way she is. No matter how many times you told her it wasn't necessary, she would just wave you off and do it anyway. Not that we were complaining. Hell, it was a little bit of heaven.

I grab the box and nod to the guy, Marcus, I think his name is. He isn't part of the unit but he is part of the compound we find ourselves in. Compound, my ass. We are in the fucking desert. We've been in the fucking desert for almost two years. We thought we would be going home by now. They first told us nine months, then twelve, then fifteen. We just passed fifteen and we're still here. Other units have gone home. Hell, part of this unit has gone home. But yeah, no, we are going to be here for at least another eight months. I don't mind saying that the least better be the most. We are getting tired and need a break. All the men are feeling it. It ain't just me.

"Sister sent us some gifts?" Remy asked me. I turn to him and smile. Remy is my cousin's husband. We enlisted the same day and promised each other and everyone in our family that we would take care of each other. So far, it's worked. I look up to see several others of my unit coming into the barracks. I nod and open the box to see letters to all the guys. I pull them out, handing them off one by one. Then I get to the real good stuff, my sister's cookies. Yeah, we already established that my sister is the best.

There are quite a few items for everyone in there and I start dolling them out based on the labels. The last item in the box is a package. I pull it out.

"What's that, Lance Corporal Stackhouse?" I hear from behind me. I turn to see our new Staff Sergeant walking up to our little group. Almost two years in country and we get a new bloody Sergeant. I thought they would promote someone from within. Okay, I thought they would promote me. If not me, then they could have promoted Remy. He was already a Sergeant. Why did we need another one? This guy is as tough as nails and literally could make my boot camp Sergeant cry, I think. That man was the toughest SOB I'd ever known. Well next to Daddy. No one is as tough as Daddy. But I'm getting away from topic. Instead of promoting from within, our CO decided to bring in fresh blood. Yeah, like that's all we need here, fresh blood. I guess they have their reasons and I'm so not about to question the CO. They have their reasons for everything.

I look at the package in my lap. _"To the New Sarge."_ Sookie wrote on the box.

I sigh. Yeah, my sister would send a special package to the new Sergeant. Hell, she sent a package to any of the new guys who join the squad. It was just her way. Okay, yeah I loved her for it, but really, after everything that has happened in the last three weeks, you would think that she would have well, I don't know. I'm not about to get mad at my baby sister for this. It is her way of helping us heal and become a team again. Something we desperately need.

I hold up the box. "It's for you, Sarge." I say to him.

He looks at me a little curiously. "What?"

"Ah man, he got a Sookie package. Damn," Alcide says. Private Alcide Herveaux joined the squad after Remy and I had been in country for six months. He was the first to receive one of her packages after our initial entry. It's always bent him that they were always different and in his mind had gotten better over time. He said if he had to go home and come back to get another one, he would. I don't think I would agree, but that's just me. It's not like he hasn't gotten goodies from her since. It's just that initial package. You forget what a little package from home will do for you over here. Especially when you are just getting acclimated. It ain't easy, I don't care who you are.

"What the hell kind of joke is this?" Sarge growls at me. "I don't need no bitch joke like this the first week I'm here. You best remember who you're dealing with Stackhouse."

I stand up and get in his face. I don't give a fuck if he is my Sergeant. He could be the fucking Sergeant Major for all I care. No one and I mean no one is going to talk about my sister like that. Not even this new hot shot.

"That BITCH you are talking about is my SISTER. She sends packages to all of us. Now if you don't want it," I go to grab it, "I'm sure there is someone else who needs what she put together. We don't want you thinking this is all a joke."

He doesn't let go of the package. "You…your sister sends everyone packages?" He asks.

"She makes the best fucking cookies," Remy says with a mouth full of her latest batch.

He looks at us all in turn and then turns back to me. "I…well, tell her thanks."

I huff. "Tell her yourself. She writes everyone letters. You can thank her if you want. She will keep sending things whether you write or not. That's just the way she is. I was just brought up that it's polite to say thank you when people go out of their way for ya." I go to sit back down. Yeah, I'm really not sure if the new Sergeant and I are going to get along.

"Well,…." He says nothing else and I don't bother to turn around. I can almost feel him moving across the barracks to his bunk. The bunk that used to hold one of my best friends. One I'll never see again. Yeah, not sure that Staff Sergeant Northman and I are going to ever get along. Maybe I can talk Sookie into not sending him anything else. Yeah, and pigs are going to fly tomorrow in the desert. Well, at least if that happens, maybe it would scare the insurgents into running for the hills and we could all go home. Yeah, neither one was going to happen. So I might as well get back to the task at hand. I want to see what else Sookie sent us.

***0***

Same day - Painted Post, Montana - USA

SPOV

I plop down on the couch next to Hadley, my cousin and best friend. Well other than my brother. But I love Hadley just as much. She had just gotten off a twelve hour shift at the hospital and I know she is dog tired. I also know that she's waiting for her son, Hunter to get up and off to school before she hits the sack. She would never go to sleep until she saw him. Yeah, he's nine and could get off on his own. Hell, Gran, Daddy and I would make sure of it. But that's just Hadley. She is damn proud of being his Momma and wouldn't shirk her responsibilities for anything..

"You get the package out last week, right?" She asks me.

I nod. "The week before last. I wanted it to get there before the funeral." I say to her. "I know it won't help, but well…"

"You are so nice to those boys. I hope they appreciate what you do for them." She says.

"I want them to know that I appreciate them. They are Remy and Jason's family over there. That makes them ours." I say to her.

She grabs my hand. "I know that honey. You do more than anyone I know. Hell, you do more than me and Remy's my husband." She sniffles.

"Hey," I grab her hand a little tighter. "You work as much as you can, you are raising a fine young man in Hunter and help around the ranch. Honey, let me do this. I love doing it and it makes me feel like I'm giving something back to them."

She sniffles again and nods. "When is your flight?"

As if on cue, Daddy comes in holding his suit bag over one arm and an overnight bag in the other. "You ready Susannah?" He asks me.

I smile a soft smile. "Yeah, I am." I say to him and turn back to Hadley. "You Skyping with Remy tonight?" I ask her.

"As long as nothing changes, yeah. You want me to tell him you are on your way to Louisiana?" She asks.

I nod. "Tell him that I will email Jason after the funeral." I say softly. "Daddy and I plan to be there for a few days to help out. This is so not going to be easy."

"It never is, hon. But you know that young wife of his is going to be happy to see you."

"Yeah, a few of the others are coming in too. But well," I shrug. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"I know honey." She tries to smile again but it doesn't exactly meet her eyes.

I kiss her quickly and head to the kitchen. Gran is standing there with travel mugs for both me and Daddy. Heading to the airport in the middle of January isn't exactly my idea of a nice drive. But it needs to be done. I owe it to Jason, to Remy, hell to the whole unit. We at home need to support one another so our guys (and girls) can do their jobs over there. It's the least we can do. Flying to Louisiana is the least I can do.

"You two have a safe trip. Call home when you land, ya hear?" She says.

Daddy leans in and kisses Gran on the cheek. "We'll be home in a few days. You make sure those boys don't get into mischief."

Gran swats at him playfully. "I can handle them ranch hands, Corbett Stackhouse. Now you do what you do and give our love to that family." She says.

I take my turn kissing my Gran and head to the door. Daddy grabs my bags and we head out of the house and into the snow. Damn, you would think it was never going to stop. But we know better. The spring always comes. Doesn't matter how bad the weather gets or how high the snow drifts become, spring and summer always seem to get here.

I get in the truck while Daddy secures our things and hops in beside me. "You ready, baby girl?" He asks me.

I nod and look out the window. I really wish I was heading there for better reasons than this. But when Jason told us what happened, I knew what I needed to do. It is the first time they've lost someone since they've been there. Sure there have been a few guys who have gotten hurt. A few that were sent home. I went to visit them as well. But this is the first trip like this. I just hope I can be strong enough for everyone. Jason is counting on me. That's all I really need to remember. My brother is doing what he needs to. I'll do the same.

I have heard the saying "what a difference a day can make," and never thought it truer than right now. But in my case it is what a difference six months can make. That is how long it took for my whole life, my whole world to turn on its ear.

I remember Gran, Gramps and even Daddy talking about "where they were when…" Gran spoke about where she was when Kennedy was shot. Gramps spoke about hearing that John Lennon had died. Daddy remembered when President Ronald Regan was shot or when the space shuttle blew up in midair upon take off. He even remembers where he was when Elvis died. Or even though they were babies, how Gran and Gramps were told about the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor and he impact it had on their families. It seems that every generation has a few and they are all tragedies of some kind.

I have thought that my generation would escape this sad and morbid tradition. But I was wrong. One crisp clear September morning changed all that. Now we had own tragedy to remember.

We can sit around in years to come as ask one another, where was I when the United States was attacked on our own soil? Where were you when the towers fell in NYC, when the pentagon was targeted and how those brave men and women took the third hijacked plane down in the fields of Pennsylvania. Where was I on September 11th 2001? The day the world was changed for every man woman and child alive. Many will talk about it and how it affected them in some way or another. But for me, it was the day my perfect world suddenly shifted. At fifteen my whole world went from perfect to making zero sense.

My name is Susannah Patrice Stackhouse. But everyone calls me Sookie. Why you may ask? When I was born, my older brother, Jason Paul Stackhouse, came to see me and my Momma in the hospital. After settling into a chair and my father carefully placing me into his lap, my darling brother leaned in and smelled me. After which he announced that I smelled sweet like a cookie. Since he had a hard time saying Susannah, he started calling me _His Sookie_. It stuck.

I have lived my whole life on _Unbroken Circle Ranch _in Painted Post Montana; population twenty seven hundred and three. Our ranch is the largest in Northern Montana and the closest city to us is three hours north. Harve, Montana has the closest Mall and Walmart. But hey, we have our very own Agway right down in the center of town and the internet helps with most things we need. I am twenty four years old. I finished up High School a year early and started at the University annex and taking classes on line the summer after graduation. I didn't see the sense in waiting. Plus, taking only two classes at the library in town and the rest online, freed me to do things around the Ranch. I finished my course in record time and now have a degree and am a certified paralegal. But in all honesty, the law firm in town doesn't need much help. I'm needed at home anyway and that is where I spend most of my time. If it had been any other time or if Jason hadn't joined up, I probably would have gone off to become a lawyer somewhere. I do enjoy the law. It is fascinating to me. But my family needs me and that means a lot. Besides, I love my home.

Like I said, our ranch is the largest in Northern Montana. At one point it was three ranches. My great-grandfather, Jared Stackhouse, my mother's grandfather, Niall Brigant and their best friend Jedidiah Compton moved west in 1901 and decided they wanted to be ranchers. They were no stranger to farming. All of them had worked hard on plantations in Louisiana but wanted a different life. They built homes and farms and worked the land together. My granddad, Paul Stackhouse and his brother Samuel, worked hand in hand with them as well as Niall's sons, Fintan and Brendan. Jedidiah also had a son, Edwin. Jed's son didn't have much use for ranching but listened to his father and tried his best. Jedidiah died in one of the worst winters they had ever seen, or so I heard. Brendan went off to war with Uncle Sam and they both died for our country. That left Paul, Fintan and Edwin to work the land since Niall and Jared were getting on in years.

Edwin got into some trouble with a local crowd of misfits and wranglers. He started spending more time at the Saloon and not enough time on the ranch. His debts were great and his shame was even greater. He had no idea how to get out of the hole he dug for himself. To help him, the other two families bought him out before the misfits and bookies could try to take his land as payment for his debts. He, his young wife and two children moved to town. Edwin wasn't much of a rancher but he took some money and started working some deals in town. By the time his son and daughter were old enough, he had amassed a good nest egg for his family. His children, William and Caroline didn't remember the ranch and were actually happy they didn't have to live a life ranching. Somehow I think the story got twisted and the consensus in the Compton household was that the families swindled their patriarch out of his land and livelihood. This caused a considerable amount of bad blood in the families and the rift between them grew over the years until the families barely spoke to one another. That is all of them except for Caroline. She never had a harsh word to say to anyone, or so I was told. She had some sort of physical problems and needed to see specialists that weren't around our parts. Because of her delicate condition, she was sent east for schooling. She met a man by the name of Broden Lockhart not soon after she became of age. She married him within a year of knowing him which just enraged her parents and brother. The Stackhouse family and Brigant family all were invited to the wedding, and I was told that they all showed up to support Caroline. Her family refused to acknowledge the invitation and decide that if Caroline wished to disgrace the family in such a manner, then she was no longer considered a Compton. I'm not sure she cared much.

Fintan Brigant and his wife, Isobel had one daughter, Patrice, my mother. Paul Stackhouse and his wife Adele, had two children, Corbett, my father and Linda, my aunt.

Momma was known as the prettiest girl in three counties. But she never had eyes for anyone other than my Daddy. To say that the families were pleased is an understatement. Daddy courted Momma for many years and on Momma's eighteenth birthday she became Mrs. Corbett Stackhouse. On their wedding day, Fintan gifted his parcel of land to Patrice while Paul had already set in motion for Linda and Corbett to share ownership of the rest. Linda married the year after my parents but the guy ran off when he realized that ranching was hard work and he wasn't going to get Linda's land to sell off. He left like a thief in the night, leaving Linda pregnant with my cousin, Hadley. Yes even in Montana we have scandals. We just don't go on Jerry Springer to announce them.

A year after I was born, Fintan and Isobel died in a rainstorm coming home from visiting Isobel's sister in Billings. I can barely remember them. But my family is rich in stories and no one holds back when you ask them to tell a tale. I have heard story after story of how feisty Isobel was or how Fintan ended up in the doghouse more times than not. How he could tame a horse like nobody had ever seen and how Isobel's peach cobbler was the best in the county.

After the death of my grandparents, Daddy and Momma moved into their house on the ranch and tried to make it a home for all of us.

Gran and Gramps lived in the biggest house on the property and we fondly call it the _Main House_. Since that is where all the ranch hands and families eat nightly. We do everything like a unit. All the work is shared, all the hardship is shouldered by all and most of all laughter and love are never in low supply. Like I said, I don't know why anyone would ever want a life other than this.

When Momma died, Jason and I started spending more and more time at the Main House with Gran and Auntie Linda. Daddy is a great man and loves us all so much. But working a ranch is hard work and raising children is even harder. So Daddy left the raising to the women and Gramps and Daddy worked the land.

But I always know where I stand with my Daddy. I may not be the only girl in the family (Hadley is eight years older than me), but I know I am the apple of my Daddy's eye and no one and I mean no one comes close to the place my Daddy holds in the heart of his little girl. Well Jason and Gramps come in a close second. But I sure love my Daddy.

Before I could walk, I was on my first horse. Before I was ten I was riding the range with the rest of the hands. By eleven, I had broken and trained my first horse. Daddy said I took to the ranch like it was part of me. I couldn't agree with him more. This is my home. This is our life. Anyone who wanted to share a life with me would have to understand that.

Jason felt the same way. But Daddy instilled in us a pride in not only our land, but in ourselves, our family and our country. He and Remy were as devastated as I was when that terrible day in September happened. Jason was only nineteen a the time and Remy was twenty-three. They saw what happened and decided that they were going to make a difference

Hadley and Remy had been married for three years by then and they had already had Hunter. They both lived and worked on the ranch but we could tell that something was brewing in both him and Jason. It took them close to a year to finally make their decisions known. Both of them decided to enlist in the Marines. Everyone was very proud of them. Though we would miss them, we knew that they weren't taking this decision lightly. Daddy actually took the boys camping for the weekend. It was the one and only time I wasn't allowed to go. I was a little hurt, but he needed to talk to them, man to man. Didn't mean I didn't want to hear what was going on. Yeah, I was a little nosey. Okay, I'm a lot nosey but that's not the point.

Sunday night the three of them arrived home just in time for supper. A nod to Gran from Daddy told me that something was said or done. After that, Daddy was behind the boys one hundred percent. We still had a few months until they needed to report to boot camp. Okay, they asked for six months to make sure that everything was settled at home. It was the shortest six months of my life. But I tried to make the best of it. Hadley was sad, really sad. But she too was proud of her husband and stood by him.

"I can't fault him for wanting to keep me safe, Sookie," she said to me one day. "He promised before God and all our family to love, honor and cherish me. He promised to take care of me for the rest of our lives. What can I say when he wants to do just that?"

I have to admit, Hadley was stronger than I ever thought possible.

Our happy time with the boys was cut short when Aunt Linda collapsed in the kitchen of the Main House. By the time we got her to the hospital there was nothing they could do. The doctors said it was an aneurysm and couldn't have been prevented. She literally was dead before she hit the floor. All we could do was make arrangements to bury her.

Hadley took the news hard. She lost her Momma, who had been her only parent ever and now she was losing her husband to the Corps. We allowed her a few days in her room. I mean, could you blame her for being upset? I know I couldn't. But the day before the funeral, she open the door of her bedroom with her head held high and her chin up. I had a renewed sense of pride in her that day. She helped with everything and even managed to make us smile at the funeral with stories of her mother. Most of the town turned out for it. We were a well-liked family and everyone knew Linda. She was a good and strong woman. I noticed that both Hadley and Gran looked the same in their stance and mannerisms that day. I guess Gran taught Linda and they both taught Hadley. I hope and pray that when I need to be, I'll have that strength as well.

Back on the ranch, I did my fair share of cooking, cleaning and minding the horses. Being the largest ranch with the biggest reputation, we were hired to train horses all the time. Our stock is pretty much made up of Quarter horses. But we have a few others. My beautiful two year old, Blue is a Painted. But we have several others. We have bred from time to time, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not. But our horses are known for their quality and health. That is something to be proud of.

But everything that has happened in my short life was nothing compared to what happened after September 11th. I remember exactly where I was. I remember every second of that morning. I remember everything that was said and what was not said. I can never forget it.

Just before Remy and Jason were ready to head to boot camp, I decided to take a ride out early in the morning. It was one of my favorite things to do. I loved watching the sunrise over our land. It was special, pure and oh I don't know, enlightening in some way.

I pulled up on Blue just past the old oak tree and waited for the sun to make its way over the horizon. I heard the sound of hoofs behind me but I didn't turn around.

"Are you really that angry?" I hear from behind me.

I don't look at him. I couldn't. "I'm not angry, Jas." I say through a hoarse voice. I was trying so hard not to cry but failing miserably.

"You would have tried to talk us out of it, if I told you what I was thinking, you know." He says.

I turn and look into my brothers sad blue eyes. "Of course I would have! You belong here. Of course I would have tried to make you stay."

"Sookie," he says softly as he touches the side of my face. "We need to do this. Don't you think we have thought about this? It is the right thing to do." He says.

I wipe the tears away. "What about the ranch, Gran, Gramps, Daddy, what about me, Jason?"

"Sookie," he stops me. "Remy and I have thought about it. The ranch has enough help and we already talked to Brent and Connor Marshall the last trip into town. They are in need of work, so they will help out around here." He says softly. I can tell he is trying to keep me calm. "Gran and Gramps are fine with this, Daddy too. As for you, My little one, you will be fine."

The thought of life without them was not making me feel fine. In fact, it was breaking my heart.

"Sookie?" I hear another horse.

"Remy, you could have told me." I say looking at him.

"Sook, if we told you, you would have spent just more time trying to convince us that we shouldn't go." I look at him and am about to ask him how I could do such a thing when he laughs. "Sookie, you are smarter than the two of us put together. We know that battling wits with you is a losing battle. But we feel like we need to do this. Please, say you will support us." He looks at me pleading me with his eyes.

I try to smile, but I know it doesn't make it anywhere near my eyes. "I would support anything the two of you do, you know that." I say to him.

The ride back to the barn was silent. Thoughts were spinning through my mind faster than I could track them. They were leaving and I could either support them and make it easy or stomp my feet and act like a child. I chose to behave and give them my love.

Goodbyes were bittersweet. They would only be going to boot camp but it was still on the other side of the country.

Gran had packed them up with every kind of sweet she could bake.

Dad informed them how proud he was of both his "sons." I had heard Daddy refer to Remy as such before but the look in both their eyes told me that they really meant it this time.

Gramps wanted to make sure they kept their heads about them. Hadley wanted to make sure that they were going to be safe. I was so proud of her. She didn't even cry. Hunter was only three and really didn't understand everything that was going on. But Remy held on to him like it was the last thing he was going to do. I saw the sadness in his eyes that day. He was hurting and I knew that he wanted to be there for his son. I can't even imagine the pain he was going through.

Me, I couldn't put into words what I wanted to say to either of them. Jason grabbed hold of me and pulled me close.

"You be good, little one. I love you so much." He says to me.

I look up into his eyes. "I am so proud to be your little sister." I say choking the words out.

He smiles and breathes in my hair. "Still as sweet as a cookie." He says softly.

Jason turns to spend a few minutes with his longtime girlfriend, Crystal Norris. I move away to give them some privacy and back right into Remy.

Before I can move away, he wraps his arms around me and leans into me. It is funny because with my 5"6' height, he is almost a foot taller than me.

"You'll write to us?" He asks.

I nod, afraid to speak.

"I'm sorry we are leaving you." He says softly.

I spin around to look him in the eye. "Just come home safe, okay?" I plead him.

He nods and kisses my forehead. It isn't the first time he has done this. I've always thought of him as another brother.

After a few more minutes, both of them turn to walk to the bus that is waiting for them. At the last minute, Jason's eyes lock on mine. I place my hand to my mouth and then to my heart. Hoping that the simple gesture will tell him something. His smile lets me know that he hears me loud and clear.

I watch as they both take their seat. I watch the bus pull out and down the street. I watch long after the bus is out of sight. Right then and there I know the bus has carried away part of my family. I needed to keep it together, if not for me then for them. They were counting on me and I'd do anything I could to be there for them. September 11, 2001 may have been when the world changed. But for me, it was February 1, 2004. That was four years ago. What a small time for everything to change.

***0***

EPOV

I sit down on my bunk and look at the package in front of me. I turn back to look at the men all crowded around Stackhouse. None of them are looking in my direction.

Lance Corporal Jason Stackhouse is a good soldier. I was given the files of all my highest ranking men the moment I got here. There are two Corporals, One Lance Corporal, and a Sergeant in my squad. I had no clue why I was deployed to this group of men. Any of the four could have been promoted. Hell, Sergeant Remy Savoy could have taken my position without even being promoted. They didn't need me. I'm not one to question orders, but this one just didn't make sense.

I have been in the Corps for seven years now. Yeah, time flies. I enlisted September 15, 2001. I had been thinking about joining up before that day, but the decision was almost made for me. It wasn't done out of desperation or spite, contrary to what some think of my decision. It was done because I wanted to make a difference. Seven years later, four active tours, three stateside stints at Parris Island and two deployments to Germany and I'm still not sure if I'm making that much of a difference.

I had my choice either to go back to P.I. or do another tour in country. I didn't really see the need to be home. I have no family waiting for me and I don't have anyone I really need to see. Sure I spent some time with a hot little red head the last time I was on base. But when my orders came up, I ended it. Hell, she was talking about waiting for me and getting things ready for when I came home. I knew better. She was a just going to hang on until the next set of eligible men showed up. I know her type. They want a military husband. Anyone would do. It was so bad that the guys even passed them around. None of us took them seriously.

Though, I have to admit, Sophie was different than most. She was from a good family. Granted, she didn't talk to them much, but still. She wasn't very educated but she had a place in town and had a job at the local insurance agency. I knew when I met her that she wanted a service man for a husband. I don't know why, butut she did. I'm sure even if I did take her up on her offer, she would have been on the next jarhead the moment he hit land. I'd seen it before and I'm sure I'd see it again. Sophie and her friends were just looking to catch one of us. If it wasn't me it would be someone else.

That's what I thought Stackhouse was doing. How the hell was I supposed to know that his sister sent care packages. In all my years, I didn't know one squad member who had someone do that. Sure, the guys would get packages. Some would even share. But the guys families all took care of their own. Obviously things are different for my unit of the 6th Marine Regiment. Looking over to them again, I notice them all reading and sharing a large box of what I assume is cookies. I knew this unit was close, but I didn't know how close.

Our Lieutenant didn't really tell me anything about this. Okay, he really didn't tell me much about anything. He was a hard son of a bitch that was into being an officer. I guess he deserved it. But I worked for a living. I wasn't appointed to my rank. Okay that is a little rude, but I don't care. I was thrown into this hell hole overseeing an already tight knit group without any warning. Hell, I knew that getting them to trust me would take time. I didn't really think they were going to welcome me with open arms; especially after what happened to their last Sergeant. But hell, someone up the chain could have warned me. Yeah, I'm gonna have to say that Lt. Ramon Huerta is up to something. Just not sure what it is yet.

I turn back to the package. _For the new Sarge_ is written in flowing cursive on the top of the package. It is nice writing. But then again, most women have nice writing. Just an observation of mine.

I pull the envelope up and open it, taking out the folded piece of paper.

_Dear Sergeant,_

_It's funny writing that when I don't even know your name. But when Jason told me that you were going to be arriving soon, he didn't know your name. So, Sergeant is going to have to do until we are introduced. Allow me to go first. My name is Susannah Stackhouse, but everyone calls me Sookie. The reason for that will take longer to explain than I want this letter to be. But suffice it to say that I'm the crazy little sister of Lance Corporal Jason Stackhouse. Not soon after they hit country, I sent him and the all the guys he had been talking about since basic a care package. Since then, I've welcomed each new member of your unit with a little hello and care box. I am sure that you have plenty of people at home that are sending you things. But this is just my way of saying thank you for what you are doing and welcoming you into the group that you find yourself in. They are really a great group of guys. Though, honestly, I've only met most of them through Skype and letters. Please don't think I Skype the entire unit. When we Skype with Jason, most of them stop by to say "hi". I've heard about the girls who hang around your bases when you're are stationed in different places. I'm so not one of them. _

_I'm sure you will hear all about our crazy family from Jason and Remy so I won't bore you. This little box is again just a thank you and a reminder that there are people out there who are very grateful for the work you are doing. _

_Please take care of yourself and your men. _

_Sincerely Grateful,_

_Sookie Stackhouse._

_P.S. If you need another pen pal, please don't hesitate to write: Susannah Stackhouse, Unbroken Circle Ranch Painted Post, Montana _59521. _Good Luck Sergeant and our prayers are with you._

I read through the letter twice. It was simple and nice. I wonder how old she is? She did say that she was Stackhouse's younger sister. I for one know that younger can mean a month to years. I wonder what it's like to live in Montana. I've never been there myself. Hell, I think I've flown over it. But I've never had any reason to go there.

I put the letter to the side. Opening the box, I first see my own little bag of cookies with another note.

_These are Alcide and Stan's favorite. I would hide them if I were you. – S_

I open the bag and get a whiff of white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Damn that smelled like heaven. I haven't had a white chocolate cookie in, hell, I don't know. But the smell brings me back to my childhood. Sitting in the kitchen as our cook pulled them out of the oven after I got home from school. Yeah, I said cook. It doesn't really matter who made them really, as long as they got made. At least that is what my mother would have said.

I put the cookies to the side and look what else this girl sent me. I see two pairs of socks, a few razors, shaving cream, hard candy, gum and a book. I pick it up and examine it. Laughing to myself as I open the cover. She has written something on the front cover.

_Sergeant, I know 'The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,' is not riveted reading. But it may put a smile on your face when you are having a hard day. I send a book to each of the guys, albeit they are all different. Why I chose this one for you, I'm not sure. But it was one of my favorites when I was little and I hope you enjoy it. Besides, who can't smile when Pooh gets his head stuck in a honey pot? Happy Reading – S._

I put it down and look up to see Stackhouse standing there.

I look down at the items and back up at him. "It…it's very nice of your sister to care so much about you and your unit." I say to him.

"That's just how she is," he says with a shrug.

He looks down at the package and his eyes go wide at the cookies. "She made you her special cookies."

I look over at them. "Uh, yeah, I guess. She said some of the men like them."

"You better hide them. Alcide is like a blood hound with those things. He gets a whiff of them, you ain't gonna have anything left but crumbs." He says.

I pick up the letter again and nod at him. He stands there in silence for a moment.

Finally I look up at him. "Have the men in the briefing room in ten minutes. The Lieutenant wants to go over a few things before we go out tomorrow."

He nods at me. "Yes, Sarge." He says.

I sit there for a few more minutes before I pack up my things and place them in my foot locker. I will need to send this Miss Stackhouse a thank you in the next day or two. That is the decent thing to do. Stackhouse wasn't the only one brought up with manners. Yeah, I don't use them often. But it isn't something you forget.

Walking into the briefing room I watch the others arrive. It really isn't a briefing room, more like a briefing tent. We are in the middle of the desert after all. We may be semi-permanent but that don't mean squat. I know firsthand that semi means just that. You never know when you are going to have to pick up and move. Each of them walk in and come to stand near the desk situated near the back of the tent. Stackhouse and Savoy stand to one side, while Corporal Stan Davis, Private Kevin Ellis, Private Rene Lenier, and Private Royce Williams stand near them. Private JB Du Rone comes in. Lastly, Private Alcide Herveaux makes his way in. The only thing I know about Alcide is that he was first to join Stackhouse, Davis and Savoy when they came over. The rest of the original team was transferred or shipped home for various reasons. The rest of the unit has been together for the past nine months. Williams was the last to join. He and Lenier weren't with the others during the package fiasco. From what I've been able to observe for the past week, Lenier and Williams are pretty much loners. Other than that, I know that DuRone and the late Sergeant were from the same home town. Not unlike Stackhouse and Savoy. There were rumors of sending him state side if he showed signs of distress. As of now, he had been hanging in there. He's a Marine. Of course he would hang in there. That's what we do.

The Lieutenant walks in and looks at the room. Nodding he takes a seat at the desk near the back wall. "I know you have all been dealing with the loss of your Sergeant in the best way you know how. Regulations dictate that I must ask if anyone feels that their emotions are interfering with doing their duty. I am also required to ask if anyone wishes to seek counseling or medical attention." He pauses for a moment. Looking down at the papers in front of him he continues. "Good. Tomorrow you are being sent…."

Just like that, emotions and feelings are push aside and we are right back to business.

Twenty minutes later, he dismisses the unit.

"Staff Sergeant, may I speak to you for a moment." He says.

I stand to the side as the other members of my new team walk out. I only get a few glances. Probably wondering what else is going to be said and what else they will need to do.

I wait until they are all out and then turn back to Lt. Huerta. "Sir," I say to him.

"Staff Sergeant, do you know why you were selected to head up this unit?" He asks me raising his chin slightly.

"Sir, no sir." I say to him. "I was informed that they had recently lost their Sergeant and were in need of another."

"And you read their files." He says.

"I did sir." He nods and sits back.

"And you didn't think it strange that the unit has three other men who could take this position yet you were brought in anyway."

"It isn't my place to question the orders of my superiors, sir. I was given my deployment and I came. End of story."

He smirks at me. I'm not sure I like that smirk. "A very militant answer I would say. The Corp has done well with you. But not the answer I would suspect from a leader. Come now, you must be a bit curious."

"Sir, if I am supposed to know, then I will be told." I say to him. "The reason I am here doesn't have anything to do with heading up this unit. They are seasoned warriors. I'm sure we will do fine."

He leans forward. "You don't really believe that, do you?" He asks in a huskier tone.

"Sir, if I may speak freely," I say and he nods. "Sir, if there is something I should know, than say it. I have been in country quite a few times. I'm aware of what these men face every day. To lose their Sergeant after so long is devastating. But that doesn't mean that they couldn't do the job without me. From the files, several of the men were capable of taking on the position. Now, if you didn't think them capable, that's one thing. But that doesn't seem the case. If there is something about this team that you think I should know to keep them safe, then cut the bull-shit and tell me."

He smirks at me again. Yeah, I've made up my mind about Huerta. I don't like this asshole. If he wasn't an officer, I might have taken him down a few pegs. Maybe I'll have to forget his rank some night. We'll need to see about that.

He gives me that smirk again. "Just keep your eyes open, Northman." He says and moves to take his papers and stand. I don't wait to be dismissed; I just make my way out of the tent.

"Oh, and Northman," he says. I turn around. "Next time, you might want to check whose boots have been under a bed you've been sleeping on." I know he can tell I'm confused. "Let's just say that it's no coincidence that you were sent into the hottest spot under fire right now. I sure hope you are as good as everyone says you are. You're going to need it."

He walks past me and out of the tent. "Have your men up and ready for deployment at oh four hundred, Staff Sergeant. You're dismissed."

He walks out and to the officer's tent. All I can think of is who the hell have I pissed off now.

***0***

January 23rd , 2008 Afghanistan

Jason's POV

We had been out in the field for seven days. Seven days and nothing. We were sitting sentry on a freaking road waiting for the insurgents that have been bombing the medical supply trucks. Whether they knew we were coming or if they just decided to go terrorize someone else is a question that is better answered well above my pay grade. But I am sure as hell happy to be back in the barracks. For anything else, I am damn happy to take a shower and change clothes. We are back out in two days and the Staff Sergeant says we can expect to be out just as long. Shit this is getting to me. We have done long trips before. But I always knew in advance. Or at least could shoot off an email to Sookie and Daddy before going. This time, we were told late at night and were up and out before dawn. Not much time to get the information to them. Plus I knew they were both heading to Louisiana for the funeral. I was damn proud to call them my family when they said that they were going. I don't know why I expected anything different. They have met with every one of our unit that have gone home. Why did I think that they wouldn't go is beyond me. Hadley wanted to go too. But with her work and Hunter, it was hard. If Daddy was going, Gran had to stay home. Now that Gramps had passed on, it was either her or Daddy in charge of the Ranch.

That was really hard. I couldn't get home and I knew my family needed me. Sookie assured me time and time again that they knew I was thinking of them. Gran told me on more than one occasion how proud Gramps was of me. It didn't make it any easier on me or Remy. Hell, he kept wondering if being here was a mistake. His boy was growing up. He will be double digits soon. We've missed so much. I know Remy is feeling it. Four years in the service, yeah, I think we are both ready to go home.

I hadn't been able to learn much more about our new Sergeant. He is good, I have to give him that. He is calm and collected and managed us better than any others. I don't like to speak ill of the dead, it's just a fact. We got out and back and one piece. We take the gifts as they come.

Speaking of the dead, I'm sure that Sookie has emailed me about the funeral. I had told her a little about the family and of course, she had gotten a lot of info from the guys. I hope that Daddy and her were okay. It was going to be emotional no matter who was in that coffin. My sister being who she is, probably didn't fall apart until she was alone or back home. At least I hope they're back home already.

After showering, I pull out my laptop and launch it. The one thing we do have here is internet access. Not everyone has their own computer. We have a few in our unit. But for the most part, the guys and I share.

I wait a moment and then login to my account. There are several emails. The first is from Sookie. All it pretty much says is that they landed and were heading to Bon Temps from Shreveport. That was his home town. Funny thing is that my great granddaddy was from the same town eons ago. I had told Sookie and Daddy to see if they could find the old farm and get pictures. I know that Gran would find it interesting and Remy is always interested in history. Especially, when it has to do with the family. Yeah, Remy may be a Savoy but he's a Stackhouse at heart. He hasn't spoken to his own father in about fifteen years. Daddy has always treated him like a second son and I have treated him like a brother. Hadley is great and we love her but I've always felt connected to Remy.

The next letter is a little longer.

"Has she written?" Remy asks. I look up to see most of the unit has returned and they are standing around.

"Yeah," I say.

"Well read it." Alcide sits down on the edge of my bunk as he towels off his head. Yeah high and tights don't leave much to dry.

I sigh. "Okay, but I'm reading it through once first. So don't stop me. There is another email after this so don't ask questions until I'm finished."

I look around and gets nods of understanding.

Opening the next email I begin.

_Jason, Remy, Stan, Alcide, Kevin and JB,_

_I don't know where to start guys, so I'll just start at the beginning. _

_Daddy and I got to Shreveport and headed out to Bon Temps after getting a rental. The area is very green with a lot of bodies of water. Daddy says that it's more of swamp land, but I don't care. It isn't as cold here as it is in Painted Post right now. In fact, there isn't a stitch of snow. Dang JB, how did you all get ready for Christmas without any snow? Building sand castles on Christmas eve just doesn't have the same ring to it._

_We made it to the motel and got settled for the night. The funeral was jammed packed Jason. JB, you would have been real proud of your wife. Tara is a beautiful girl and she was helping people get settled and situated. Mrs. Fortenberry was seated at the front and didn't say a damn word to anyone. She was seated with two other women but I didn't notice anyone else even getting close to her. Afterwards, Daddy and I tried to go and pay our respects to the mother but she wouldn't even look at us. Tara told us she wasn't talking to her either. On account that JB and Hoyt signed up together. She never wanted him to go and made it very clear that she put us all to blame. We excused ourselves to find Holly who had been sitting with a few other women. _

_Oh, Jason, she's as pretty as a picture and their daughter, Jessica is as bright as a new penny. I spent some time with them. She was as nice in person as she's been on our chats and emails. She was real happy that Daddy and I got to be there. _

_Please tell Stan that Isabel made it just in time. She was afraid that her job was going to keep her, but she got there and her, Tara and I made it our mission to keep Holly calm. Also tell Alcide that his father made the trip and he and Daddy spent a good long while trading stories about you boys. It even made Holly laugh to hear some of the stories. _

_The next day we headed right over to Mrs. Fortenberry's house. JB, your directions were spot on. Thank you. Anyway, when we arrived, she wasn't, well, all I can say is the woman is more angry and distraught than I could imagine. She actually slammed the door in our faces at first. I could hear voices inside and when the door opened, we were greeted by some woman by the name of Halleigh Robinson. I guess she is an attorney and is helping Mrs. Fortenberry with the will and everything. In other words, Halleigh is trying to get the money and death benefits from Holly since they were only married for three years. _

_I didn't believe it when Hoyt told me that his Momma and Holly didn't get along. But he had thought that it was better when she offered for her and Jessica to move in with her. Imagine our surprise when we got there and found out that Holly and Jessica were living in the basement. Mrs. Fortenberry had taken the money from the sale of their house and was forcing Holly to give her Hoyt's pay. The last part we found out from Tara who Holly had confided in when they found out about his death. She wasn't sure how her and Jessica were going to live._

_That is all Daddy needed to hear. He told that Ms. Robinson that she should be ashamed of herself and informed her that he would be getting our attorney involved on behalf of Holly. We packed the two of them up and had them stay with us until our flight. Mrs. Fortenberry was so angry. She actually hit Holly on the way out of the house. She told her that it was her fault that her baby was dead. That if she loved her son she would have never allowed him to go to war. _

_Tara offered to help the two of them find another place to live. But Holly is done with that town and those people. Evidently more people than not knew what that woman was doing to Holly and the baby and none of them did a dang thing to help her._

_So my darling brother, Holly and Jessica will be moving to the Ranch. Gran is tickled that she will have another baby to take care of and Daddy assured her that he will help her not only keep her benefits but to get back everything that horrid woman took from her. She is scared Jason, but we will take care of her. We will take care of her for Hoyt because I know that's what you would want us to do._

_I will write more when we get home. But I wanted you to know that we will do right by Hoyt and take care of his family. Isabel has offered to come out and spend some time with her as has Tara. Alcide, your dad was ready to run Mrs. Fortenberry's house over with a dump truck, his words, not mine. _

_Anyway, I'm off for now. We have a lot of arrangements to make and Daddy is in need of the computer._

_Be strong, be safe and know that we are all praying for your safe return._

_I love you, Jason with all my heart._

_Sookie._

It's quiet for a long moment. None of us know what to say. Finally I look up and see that Northman had joined our group. He looks angry. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"That woman should be ashamed of herself. I've got friends at JAG that can help Sergeant Fortenberry's wife. I'll be sure to write your sister and let her know who to contact. This is just, I don't know even what to say." He says softly. I look up at the men. Everyone is looking at me. Finally I finish. "Never leave a man behind. That should include families."

"HU RA!" I hear from everyone in attendance. What else is there to say?

He goes to walk away and then turns to me. "She really went clear across the country for a woman she's only spoken too?" He asks.

I shrug. "You would understand if you met her, Sarge. If Holly needed her too, she would have flow anywhere so she knew she had a friend. That is just the type of woman she is."

I watch as he walks away. Something is different in him. I can't put my finger on it, but it's definitely different.

***0***

EPOV

As I was listening to Stackhouse read his sister's email, I couldn't believe one human being could be so heartless and cruel. That's a lie. I know people could be heartless. But this was her son's wife. Never mind that, it was her granddaughter she was putting through hell. Damn, the woman was twisted.

But I also heard the pain and tenderness of his sister in the words. She truly cared for these people. I've honestly never met anyone who cared so much for others. Well, maybe my sister. Correction, half-sister. But she was only ten and she's too young to be jaded by the world. At least I hope that's the case. I've not heard from her in some time. I wonder if her parents put a stop to contacting me. It wasn't like I got notes from her often. But it was nice to hear about this or that. But then again, I haven't checked my email in over a month. Maybe she went digital. Anything's possible.

I pull out the letter that Sookie sent me from my breast pocket. I took it with me on the last trip. It was a last minute decision. I don't even know why I took it. But something made me do it. I'm really thankful too. There were a few times that we were getting a little on edge. Well sitting in a hot seat and waiting for someone to try and bomb a truck never really makes for a good time. At least we came back with no bullet holes in the SUV. But I tell you, I don't care what you say, I think Parris Island in July may be just as hot as this place. Not sure, but maybe. The days are hot but the nights are cold. That is when I would pull out her letter. Hell, I must have read it five dozen times, probably more.

I am taken out of my thoughts by a voice clearing. I look up and see Stackhouse standing in front of me with a piece of paper in his hand. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"If you really have people at JAG that can help Holly, here," he hands me the slip of paper, "email Sookie. She won't want to wait for snail mail to get to her."

I take the paper from him. "You sure?" I ask.

He nods. "Just don't make me regret it. My sister means more to me than anyone on this planet. Every single man in this unit loves her. You abuse having that contact with her or upset her in any way, I don't care if you out rank us, we will unleash a can of whoop ass on you that will be the envy of any Devil Dog here."

I had already heard from some of the guys how protective Stackhouse was of his sister. That was the one thing that killed him for being here. He was so far away from her.

"Stackhouse, I have no intention of disrespecting your sister in any way. I can see how much she does for this unit. Any person, man or woman that cares about men she hardly knows, including their family deserves our admiration. Believe me, all I want to do is help Sergeant Fortenberry's widow and daughter."

"I will hold you to that, Sarge." He says.

I nod at him and watch him walk out of the barracks. I would suspect that he's probably going to absorb all that he learned today. It has to be rough on him. I know it would be rough on just about anyone to lose someone over here. But to find out about all the shit that's been going on back home, well that shit just ain't right.

I look around and see that there are very few people left inside. I head over to my locker and pull out my own laptop. I don't use it much but I like having it.

Waiting for it to boot up, I wonder what I should say to her. I'm not sure if she knows if her brother gave me her address. I would assume so, but you never know.

I launch the browser and log in. Sitting there for a few minutes, I try to get my thoughts in order. Finally, I decide to write first and edit second.

Taking a deep breath I sit for one more minute. Why is this so bloody hard? It isn't like I'm asking the girl out or something. Yeah that's not something I've done in a long while; a very long while.

Finally, I decide to be the Marine I am and man the fuck up.

Taking another breath, I begin.

_Dear Miss Stackhouse,_

***0***

A/N Chapter 2 will be up soon. Please let me know what you think and check out the community for the IWTS contest as well as their blog. This story is also posted on my wordpress account as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N First off – I would like to thank you for the overwhelming response to this story. I am just floored at the number of PM, Fav's and reviews I've gotten on the first chapter. Thank you so much. As I've said, this is an entry to IWTS and soon the polling will be up. I'll let you know when the voting begins. **

**Okay – I know this was a little different than other stories of mine, but I assure you that I'm hoping to do it justice. This storyline has been on my mind for sometime. I am the product of a military family and have thought about Eric and Jason going off to war several times. Not to mention that my darling son is thinking of either enlisting or trying for one of the military academy's once he's done with High School. His announcement the other night to me that he is thinking of the Marines just fueled this on. Then I heard the song by Trace Adkins, Semper Fi, and I just had this story screaming in my head. **

**I know that there are a few stories out there with Eric in uniform (hell – he looks good in anything). But I wanted to tell it a little differently. Why Montana do you say? Because I think it is one of the purest places left in this country. I live up in NH and the thought of how beautiful that country is just cries for a story (have you ever seen Flicka?). Anyway, people who grow up out there are strong, proud people. I want to give Sookie a different kind of challenge. She is not a stubborn little girl in this story. She has to grow up pretty fast and face quite a few realities. Prior to the beginning of his story, Sookie has been protected by very strong men her whole life. With her brother going off to war, this changes and we see a very strong and confident young woman emerge. At least that is what I hope to convey.**

**I would like to note a few things. I have no one close to me currently in active military service. I picked for the boys to be stationed in Afghanistan because of the vast number of soldiers who have served over there. I could have any other "hot spot" in the Middle East, so I don't want you to think I have firsthand knowledge of anything going on there, I don't. If I miss use any phrases or military lingo, I apologize in advance. I also want to say this IS an E/S story. But they will take some time to get there. Also this is not going to be your average love story. Eric is going to be busy defending our country and Sookie is going to be defending Unbroken Circle as well as taking care of everyone that needs taking care of back home. Lastly, if you have read my other stories you know I am NO fan of Bill Compton. You can be sure that this story will be similar. Just so you know, I think Bill is a whiny weasel. Besides E/S this story will be NON-Canon in many cases. I will also be using characters from both the books and from TB. I own neither and give all credit for their creation to CH and AB. I only own my crazy ideas and imagination.**

**So, seriously long A/N. So I will stop now. Please let me know what you think and as always, Thank you for reading.**

***0***

Chapter 2 – Sergeant to the rescue

***0***

January 23rd, 2008 – Painted Post, Montana

SPOV

Damn life has been hectic since we got back from Louisiana. Even before then, it was nuts. Okay, I totally didn't expect to find what I did. I didn't even tell Jason half of what we found out. It would only upset him and the rest of the unit and what good would that do? Yeah, nothing.

Daddy almost flipped his lid. Hell, I think if Mr. Herveaux wasn't there, he might have. Not that he was any better. What that woman was doing to Holly and her child was just inexcusable. The worst part was that so many people in that little town knew about it. Even Tara knew something was going on and didn't say a damn word about it to anyone, not even her husband.

"People keep to themselves around these parts," she had said to me. "JB would have agreed with me. We stay out of people's business around here, Sookie Stackhouse. You would do best to remember that. If you don't believe me, maybe you should ask some of your kin folk. Ain't you all from around here?"

I ignored her comment about my family. "How could you let that woman hurt Holly? Hoyt is part of JB's unit. Hell, he was their Sergeant."

She shrugged off my comments and left to go home to her family's house. I got a feeling that if you weren't born and bred here going back six generations, you were an outsider and they so didn't take care of outsiders.

JB is part of Jason's unit. Tara should have been watching out for Holly. Half the people I talk to who are related to the unit, I've never met. I spend hours on phone calls, Skype and Facebook talking to them. I knew how Holly and Hoyt met, it didn't matter to me one bit. I didn't care that Hoyt and Holly were a one night stand that turned into something more. I didn't care that Holly used to work at the local strip bar and Hoyt met her after breaking it off with his longtime girlfriend, Portia. Who, by the way, Mrs. Fortenberry absolutely loves and always considered the love of her son's life. Her words, not mine. It didn't make a hill of difference. Hoyt married Holly before he went to Basic after he found out she was expecting. He didn't have to do it, but he did. He even set her up in a pretty little house and had her right as rain before he left. Then his Momma got it in her head that she could torture both Holly and the baby for "ruining" her little boy. I don't know how she came up with that, but she did. It wasn't like Holly asked him to join he service. He and JB had already enlisted. That was what the breakup was about. Or so Jason had said once. Portia couldn't handle it. She was angry as the devil himself when she found out. Hoyt hadn't discussed the decision with her and there was no way she wanted her boyfriend in the service. I met her when we were back for the funeral. She sat right next to Hoyt's Momma like she was the grieving widow. She was a stuck up little so and so if you ask me. She had some high paying job in Shreveport and let everyone know the big deals she was working on and how this was affecting her performance. Mrs. Fortenberry held her and comforted her while her real daughter-in-law and granddaughter stood on the sidelines. It was disgraceful if you asked me. Hoyt was probably spitting nails from heaven looking down on all of it.

Holly wasn't from Bon Temps. As I learned from her and Jason, she had moved down to Shreveport to attend college from up north. Just as her junior year ended, her father had come upon hard times and couldn't make the tuition payments. Holly was working the club to make money to stay in school. Soon after she met Hoyt, her father committed suicide. She found out later that he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars and couldn't pay. He took the easy way out and left his daughter all alone in an unfamiliar place. When she found out she was pregnant and Hoyt asked her to marry him, she thought all her prayers were answered. Her prayers weren't but no one knew that at the time. Mrs. Fortenberry sure was an evil wench. She had done more than just take Holly's house away from her. Holly and her daughter were living in filth. The basement had a bucket in the corner for them to clean up and use as a waste receptacle. They weren't allowed upstairs except for once a day to clean out the bucket and to walk around for an hour. I learned that in that hour is when Holly would go to the library to email us and Hoyt. I wonder why he never wondered why his wife was unavailable to Skype with him. They were given less than a day's worth of food every three days and had nothing but a cot in the corner. Why Holly didn't say anything to Hoyt is beyond me. Hell, she had the rest of us to talk to as well. The only reason they were allowed out for the funeral was because "people would talk," according to Hoyt's Momma. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I laid eyes on Holly's living conditions. Mrs. Fortenberry didn't even try to hide it. She told us the little slut was lucky that she didn't have them taken out to the swamp and left for the alligators. Her son was better off without the two of them and would be coming home to his real family soon enough. That was until he was killed and she blamed not only Holly but the rest of us as well. Her son was dead and she was going to put the blame on anyone and everyone she could find. I'm telling you, I wasn't far behind Daddy in wanting to string up that old woman in the nearest tree.

When we arrived home, Gran had just fallen over herself with Holly and Jessica. She couldn't do enough for them. We had thought they would feel more comfortable if we set them up in one of the side houses, but Gran wouldn't have any of it. Hadley was right behind her. As soon as my cousin saw the two of them, she went right into nurse mode and started assessing them and figuring out how to help. Gran just wanted to love on them and feed them. Holly was a little taken aback at first. She stayed really close to me but as soon as she saw that no one meant her harm, she started to come around.

Daddy and our family attorney were finding it hard to cut through the red tape of the military. I have no idea how Mrs. Fortenberry and her charlatan of a lawyer thought they could run right over the US Military was beyond me. They were finding it hard to just get someone on the phone that would work with them. Hell, they were hitting walls all over the place. I don't think either of them was giving up, but it was proving to be harder than they expected.

This was compounded by the fact that we hadn't heard from Jason for days. I was sure that they were sent out into the field with little to no warning, but I needed to hear from my brother. Hell, I would have been happy to hear from any of the guys. But Jason and I had a connection that few understood. He was my big brother, sure, but he was also my best friend. The only person as close to me was Hadley and she had her own concerns with Remy. I needed to be strong for her. I couldn't fall apart every time there was a gap in communication. We should be happy with email and Skype. Many families in the past didn't have that and had to wait weeks for word of where their loved ones were. Yeah, I guess we should be grateful for technology. But with instant communication came instant concerns when that communication ceased.

I know that we are in the same boat as everyone else. Alcide's father had said he hadn't heard from him at the funeral and the Facebook group we started with all the families of the unit all said the same thing. If something had happened we would have known about it. Granted, we don't know exactly where they are but hopefully no news is good news and we will have word of their return soon.

Holly and Jessica were getting acclimated to life on a ranch. Yeah, there is a lot to get used to, I would imagine. I don't think she'd ever seen anything like it and Jessica had been wide eyed and gaping mouth since she arrived.

The guys have been really sweet to both of them. Since Jason and Remy's deployment, we've taken on four extra hands. Brent and Connor Marshall have been working with us since before the guys left. About six months after our tearful goodbye, Gramps got sick. He held on for some time but he wasn't up for climbing on a horse and helping out with the team. Daddy and the rest of the team decided we needed more hands to make up for what we were missing in Gramps. Yeah, the man could still do the work of three men at his age. It was killing him to be sidelined. But his health wasn't up for it and he knew it. There was one thing to get tired and listless in the house. It is quite another to lose your train of thought when seated on a horse.

So Gran put feelers out. She lucked out in finding a trainer looking to relocate to the area. Mitchell Stover came highly recommended from his last stint in Texas. Though the man was well into his thirties, he worked well with the rest of the team. He was a godsend according to Daddy and was a great addition. His experience and expertise with show horses expanded our training skills and with him, we've brought in about a dozen more horses over the last year than was expected.

The last hand hired was Tray Dawson.

Tray is a few years older than me. He's tall, blonde and handsome. Oh and boy does he know it too. He graduated with Jason and knew him well. He had worked on his father's ranch until he decided to sell the livestock and go into real estate. Why he just didn't hand the reigns over to Tray is anyone's guess. But Daddy decided to give him a shot.

I really wish we hadn't. Tray was after me from the get go. He tried everything in his power to get me to go out with him. Finally after months of pestering me, I agreed to dinner. I was nineteen and stupid. That is the only explanation I have. Eight months into our relationship, I found myself rolling in the hay with him. Really, how cliché can you get? He literally bedded the farmer's daughter. Or in this case, he bedded the rancher's daughter.

I thought he really cared for me. He told me every chance he got how much he wanted to love me and take care of me now that Jason was gone. I didn't know how much he wanted to be like Jason until I found him and Crystal Norris in the back of his truck out by the lake.

Jason and Crystal had broken up not long after he left for basic. Crystal decided that she couldn't handle worrying about him. It was just too much for her. He said he understood but I know damn well that it hurt him. He had told me on more than one occasion that he thought that Crystal was "the one" and was prepared to ask her to marry him as soon as he came home. Granted, I don't think he thought that his tour would be extending this long, but still. I know that woman broke my brother's heart.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I found them. Tray tried to use every excuse in the book but I wasn't buying any of it. He had burned his bridge with me that was for sure. I took off on Blue for hours. Daddy, Connor and Brent came looking for me. When then found me, I was seated at the edge of the ravine staring out at the stars. I thought Daddy would have given me "what for," for being out so late. But one look at my face told him something was wrong. He picked me up and rode me back to the house; ordering the boys to take care of Blue.

I stayed in my room the whole next day. When I came out Daddy asked me if I wanted him to fire Tray. I thought about it for a while. He was a lying wretch but he was good for the ranch. I decided that I could deal with him but I made it known to him and everyone around us that we were through. I never said anything about finding him and Crystal together. But not six months later, the two of them were engaged and have been married for a little less than a year. Yeah, so much for loving me.

Jason really took it worse than I. Not because he still had feelings for Crystal but because Tray had hurt me. He knew that something had happened to cause our breakup. Even if I wouldn't tell him what it was, it seems someone said something. Because the following week after me finding him with Crystal, Tray was sporting a black eye and limping. My brother said nothing to me and I didn't ask. But I knew that my brother was still trying to take care of me from the other side of the world. It was kind of comforting in a weird sort of way.

I was heading to the house from the barn when I saw a car pulling up. I knew it right away and rolled my eyes. I so didn't need a visit from Crystal Norris-Dawson today. She pulled up and got out. Looking around before heading over to me. Tray was the only hand that didn't live at the ranch. He and Crystal had a little place in town. Neither Daddy nor I thought it would be best for morale if they were here. Now I'm thinking it would be best if we banned her from our place. Seeing her just makes me want to punch her face in.

"What are you doing here, Crystal?" I ask.

"Sookie," she says looking around again.

"You just missed them," I say. "Tray and the others just went riding to check the back fence."

She nods and says nothing.

I huff and cross my arms under my chest. My breasts were too large to cross over them. Yeah, I'm short and curvy. No Victoria Secrets runways in my future.

"I can tell him you stopped by." I say trying to get her to leave.

She shakes her head. "I…I wanted to know if you spoke to Jason recently."

"Why do you care?" I go to side step her but she gets in my way.

"Look Susannah Stackhouse, just because I couldn't handle him being clear across the world doesn't mean I don't care what happens to him."

I laugh a little. "Well, you sure have a strange way of showing your affections, Crystal. I mean everyone shows a man they care by bedding their sister's boyfriend and then marrying him. Oh, I'm sure Jason is really feeling the love."

"Look, that was not…" She huffs. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "You're telling me that his dick just slipped into your crotch? Look I may live out here on a ranch but I'm far from dumb!"

"That's not what I meant. Look I was angry okay? I couldn't have Jason and you had Tray. You were living the life I wanted. All I wanted was to marry Jason and live out our days here." She waves her hand around.

"Wait a minute," I put up my hand. "You are telling me that you seduced Tray because I had him and you didn't have Jason."

"It was more complicated than that." She looks down. "But you always get whatever you want, Sookie. You have your family, your brother that loves you more than life itself. You had Tray and were getting ready to have a life with him. He did love you. I tried for weeks to get him and he would side step me every time."

"What made that night different. Or was it not the first time?" I ask her.

"No, we got…well I got him drunk at the fire that night. He didn't know what he was drinking. When I asked for a ride home when you went in to help your Gran, well…" she shrugs. "One thing led to another and then you showed up…."

I shake my head. "You are one piece of work, you know that Crystal. But you weren't all to blame. Tray could have said no." I say to her.

She shakes her head. "He thought it was you. When he heard you screaming at him he didn't know what was going on."

Tray tried for weeks afterwards to get me to talk to him but I wouldn't. It didn't matter what Crystal did to get him in the back of that truck, he went. Regardless if he thought it was me or not, he did it. Even if I knew then that he was all kinds of messed up, I wouldn't have forgiven him.

I shake my head and go to move again. "The only..only reason Tray married me was because I told him I was pregnant."

That stops me. "What?" I ask.

"I…I wasn't. But by then he wouldn't embarrass himself or his family, so he married me."

"Well, you got what you wanted." I say softly.

She shakes her head again. "No, I didn't."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just started walking.

"Sookie, I checked your Facebook group and no one has heard from the unit." She moves to stop me again. "I just…I just want to know that he's safe, is all."

I look at her. I just look at her. After everything she's done, she wants me to let her know what's going on with Jason? She is really mental.

"We don't know. They are probably out in the field." I say and move around her.

"Sookie," she says.

"Go home, Crystal. You wanted this life and you got it. Stop trying to make me feel sorry that it isn't as perfect as you wanted it to be."

"He still loves you." She says after me.

I don't know what to say to that so I just keep walking. It doesn't matter if Tray loves me. He betrayed me, he betrayed us. There is nothing I can do about that.

I walk into the Main House and it is very quiet. Hadley is at work, Hunter is off to school and I think Holly and Jessica are taking a nap. Gran was going into town for supplies. Gramps had passed on some time back now. I knew that Gran missed him and spent most of her day busy. I know it was because she didn't want to think about him. Plus, she had a household to feed. Ranch hands eat a lot. She had her work cut out for her.

I walk over, open my laptop and turn it on. Launching my email, I hope that there is an email from Jason. He has been out in the field longer than this before but, well, I still worry. I won't tell anyone that I am. It seems that everyone looks at me to be strong. One of these days I'll be able to cry again. It won't be today or even tomorrow but it will happen, I know it.

I pull up my inbox and see a few emails from college friends, one from work and then one from an email address I don't recognize. Opening it up, I begin to read.

_Dear Miss Stackhouse._

_First allow me to thank you for the gift box you sent to me via your brother. I understand that you send gifts and treats to most of the unit and I can't tell you how much it helps with morale. I may not have been with this unit long, but I have been in country before and I can tell you, a little bit of home goes a long way. So, I wish to thank you for making me feel welcome. I have heeded your warning and have hidden my stash of cookies. Though, we have been out in the field since they arrived. I've only been able to sneak a taste and I must say that they are the BEST cookies I've ever eaten. The other items were welcomed as well. By the way, Winnie the Pooh was also one of my very favorite characters when I was young. So reading the stories will put a smile on my face in a place where very few smile._

_I am sorry in the delay of this thank you. As I said, we were sent out the next morning after your package arrived. Also, I intended to send you a hand written thank you for your gift. However, upon our return, your brother read your note regarding Sergeant Fortenberry's funeral and the condition you found his widow and child in. I must say that I don't think that there was one soldier in this barracks at the time that was not willing to go and teach that woman a lesson. I personally never met Sergeant Fortenberry. However, the men truly loved and looked up to him in a way few do. For that, he will always have my deepest respect and admiration._

_It is because of this that your brother gave me your email address. I understand that you are having difficulties getting through much of the military red tape. I believe I have a solution for you. Two of my very good friends are currently at JAG. I believe that they will be able to assist the Sergeant's widow. Their names are Clancy Brighten and Jade Flower. Yes, that is her name. Her parents are a throwback to a different era. Her name might be unusual, but she is a fabulous attorney. They both should serve you well. _

_We will be heading out again in a little over forty-eight hours. Therefore, if you wish me to contact them, please email me back or let your brother know. I would like to get the ball rolling on this sooner rather than later. This is too important of a matter to wait until we are back at the compound._

_On a last note, I hope you know what a special person you are to look after and support all the family members of this unit. In all my years in the Corps, I don't believe I have come across anyone that would drop everything and anything to help people as you have. You have impressed me, Susannah Stackhouse and that is not an easy thing to do. I just wanted you to know that._

_Please get word to me as soon as possible so that I can make the appropriate arrangements._

_Sincerely,_

_Staff Sergeant Eric Northman._

I read the email through several times. I couldn't believe it. We have been hitting a wall at every turn with the Marines and just when I think that we are going to have to find other ways to help Holly, the Sergeant comes walking in. Or rather, writing in with a possible solution. God if the man was here right now, I would kiss him. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little over dramatic, but damn! I can't believe this.

I immediately hit reply and send him back a response.

_Dear Sergeant Northman,_

_First, please call me Sookie, everyone does. Second, thank you, thank you for your generous help. Indeed we are hitting walls at every turn with the Corps. I am not sure what headway Mrs. Forenberry has made but I am hoping that she has been buried in as much red tape as we have. Our family attorney, Mr. Sid Matt Lancaster has been trying but he really knows no one in the service. He's also tried to get some of the local police to listen to us. But as I told Jason, Bon Temps is a very small town and they are really taking the evil witches side over Holly's. I know that isn't a very Christian thing to say, but it's the truth. If you think your friends can help, please contact them. We will take any and all help we can get at this juncture. I will add the house phone number to the bottom so you can have them email us or call us. Any help would be better than nothing. _

_As for your gift box, you are welcome. I will have to remember to send you a separate package of cookies so that you can hide them from the rest of the men. Don't tell me I don't have to, I want to. It will be my way of thanking you for all your help in this matter. I can't tell you how grateful we will be._

_I didn't know you all would be going out to the field so quickly. I hope that Remy will be able to contact Hadley soon. My cousin is a strong woman, but she misses her husband. If Jason hadn't told you, Remy is married to our cousin and has a little boy. He is growing up so fast and I know he misses his daddy. But he is so damn proud when he tells everyone (and I mean everyone) that his daddy is a Marine. _

_Please take care of yourself and the rest of the unit. I know that you probably hear it from the members of your family often, but we are proud of you. I am proud of you and thank you for what you are doing for us all._

_Stay safe and come back to us soon._

_With great appreciation,_

_Sookie._

_P.S. Glad Pooh Bear will give you a smile. –S_

_Phone number: 287-355-2222_

I decided that I didn't want to read any other emails. Jason hadn't emailed me yet, but that wasn't a surprise. I'm sure he's letting all the guys use his laptop first. That was just the way he was. Heading back out to the barn I head over to the back left stall to look in on Blue. My Blue Bonnie Bell has been my horse since the moment she was born. She was the first horse I was allowed to break and train all on my own. She is my sweet girl and I love her. Granted she is getting on in years, but she still knows how to give a good ride. If it was any other time of year, I would saddle her up and take her for a run. But the snow is high this year and I don't want to risk her getting her hoof stuck or taking a bad step when she can't see where she's going. I pull a few sugar cubes out of my pocket and hand them to her. She takes them eagerly and nudges me with her nose for more. I smile and pet her.

"Now, girl, you know you can't have any more," I stroke her again. "Be a good girl and I'll bring you an apple in the morning." She huffs. Yeah, my girl has a sweet tooth. She would much prefer sugar cubes.

"I think you love that horse more than anything else." I hear behind me.

I don't need to turn to know the voice. "I thought you were out with the others Tray." I say to him.

"We just got back. I saw you walking in and thought I would spy on you." He used to say the same thing when we were dating.

I sigh. "Well, there isn't anything to see." I say to him. "Best you should be getting on home, don't you think."

I pet Blue one more time and head for the door. Tray stops me and puts one hand on my arm. "Sookie, don' leave." He says softly.

I look up into his eyes. The eyes I thought for sure loved me once. The eyes I thought I would be spending my life looking into. Now, those eyes are for another woman, not me.

I pull my arm away from him. "Why?"

"Sookie, please I…I just want to talk to you." He combs his fingers through his hair. It's getting longer and I know he hates long hair. Maybe Crystal likes it long.

"I don't…I didn't…look, this is not how I saw my life, our life going." He says.

I shake my head. "It stopped being our life when you climbed into the back of that truck with Crystal." I say to him.

"It…I didn't mean…shit Sookie I didn't know what was going on." He paces a little. "Look she tricked me then. She made me think…" He huffs. "Then she told both her family and mine she was pregnant. I didn't…I thought I was doing the right thing. Then that was a lie. Sookie," he looks up at me. "I never stopped…"

I put my hand up. "Don't say it Tray. You made that bed. You have a wife and a life with her. You can't be saying things like that to me."

"But it's true," he says and moves a little closer. "I will leave her. I will file for divorce tomorrow if you say there is another chance for us." He says. "Please Sookie." He moves a little closer.

"Sook," I hear from the door. I turn to see Mitchell standing in the door. "Hon, Hadley wanted me to fetch you. She has the boys on Skype."

I nod and head to the door.

"Sookie," Tray says.

I turn. "Tray, I would appreciate you keeping your wife off the Ranch from now on. She really isn't wanted here."

"Cry…Crystal was here, when?" He asks.

"Earlier. She wanted to know about Jason. I would appreciate if you would inform your WIFE that my brother's welfare is no longer her concern."

With that, I turn and make my way up to the house with Mitchell.

"You okay there, little one?" He asks me.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine." I say.

I look at him. His eyes are saying something but for the life of me, I don't know what. He is a handsome man. Being a rancher all his life has made him fit and strong. His short dirty blond hair and blue eyes make him look younger than I know he is. Before I can ask him what he's thinking, Hadley swings open the door.

"Hurry up," she yells at me. "They don't have much time."

I turn to look at Mitchell again but the look on his face has changed into the comfortable, easy going one he always has.

I shake my head and run up the stairs. Stripping off my winter coat, I head over to the computer and see that Jason and Remy are there smiling back at us.

"Hey sis," they say in tandem.

I laugh. "Hey yourself." I say. "Where is everyone else?" I ask.

"Getting showers in before we need to leave," Jason says. "Listen, I gave your email address to the Sarge. He says he can help with Holly."

I nod to him. "He's already emailed me and I responded. God, Jason if his friends are really JAG that could help so much." I say to him.

He nods. "I wouldn't think the man would lie, Sook. He was really torn up about what happen to Holly."

"Well, I'll take your word for it. Is he there? I'd like to thank him in person. Or at least as close as I can get." I laugh.

"Nah, the Lieutenant called him in. He won't be back for hours." Jason says and looks around.

"Sook, we need to get off soon. We have training in a few hours and then we are going back on out."

"When will you be back?" I ask trying to keep the tears down.

He shrugs. "Don't know. Maybe not for at least ten days, maybe more. But we will contact you when we get back, okay?"

I nod and smile afraid my voice will give away my fear.

"How's Holly?" He asks.

I sigh glad for the change in subject. "She's better. Still a little scared, I think. Gran has all but fussed on her twenty-four seven since they arrived. But I think she is finally coming to terms with what happened. I'm headed into town tomorrow. Sid Matt has some work for me, so I will look into some of the classes at the library for her. She needs to get doing something. I think Jessica needs to be around other kids her own age too. Hunter has been wonderful for her. But she's still young."

"I think that's great." He says. "You take care of them for me, will ya. I owe it to Hoyt."

"You know I will Jason." I say.

"Okay, well we need to go. I love you sis." He says.

"Be safe and take care of one another."

"Always," he says and the screen goes dead.

I turn to see Hadley. As soon as she sees the screen go black, she lets out the tears she's been holding. I grab her and pull her into my shoulder and let her cry it out. I look up to see Gran and Daddy standing in front of us with tears in their eyes. Daddy makes some excuse about checking on a file. Gran squeezes my hands as she sniffles and walks into the kitchen. I know they are both going to cry. Me, I'll wait until later. When no one needs me and I can be alone. Then I'll cry. But until then, I'll be strong. My brother is counting on me. There is nothing else I can do for him but to be strong for everyone.

I let my mind drift as Hadley starts to calm down. I can't believe that the Staff Sergeant is willing to help us. I get images of him on a white horse charging in with a shiny sword to save the day. But he isn't riding a horse, he's in an SUV. He isn't wielding a sword but a very large gun. Regardless, I can't help but think of him as my knight in shining armor; my Sergeant to the rescue. Oh yes. He will be getting some very special cookies, that's for sure.

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N Devil Dogs. Why are the Marines sometimes referred to as Devil Dogs? According to the Marine Corp and History they received this nickname during fighting in the Belleau Woods against the German army in 1918. Fighting through supposedly impenetrable woods and capturing supposedly untakeable terrain, the men of the 4th Marine Brigade struck terror in the hearts of the Germans. The persistent attacks delivered with unbelievable courage soon had the Germans referring to Marines as the "Teufelhunden" meaning "fierce fighting dogs of legendary origin" or as popularly translated "Devil Dogs."

So here is to the Devil Dogs. The men and women who fight on. Who are the first to go and last to leave.

I want to say a heartwarming and thank you to all the people who have reviewed and PM'd me stating that they, their family memembers or others that they knew were active, retired or returning military service men/women. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the service and sacrifice you have given this country. Whether you were active or the family of active members, you have given a lot of the Freedom of all of us. I saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said "Freedom has a price." I for one am thankful and grateful that you are and have been willing to pay that price.

So without further ado, here is the next chapter of Semper Fi - Devil Dogs

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Chapter 3 – Devil Dogs

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EPOV

January 23rd, 2008 - Afghanistan

"Always," I hear from Stackhouse as I walk back into the barracks. Savoy turns away and I know he's trying to get his emotions in check. I don't say a word. There is nothing funny about when a soldier cries and nothing can make them cry more than when they talk to their family.

Sookie had said that Savoy had a little boy. I'm sure it kills him to only be able to talk to him now and then. I don't think I could deal with that. Not that I ever gave any thought to having kids. Hell, I haven't thought of ever having someone permanent in my life for ten years. Marriage, children, the whole future thing never even crossed my mind. Okay, it did. But when you get burned as badly as I did, you tend to push those types of thoughts out of your head. Hell, the three weeks I spent with Sophie was two too many. After the first week is when she started getting clingy and talking about futures and when I got out of the service. I don't remember telling her that I was getting out. I hadn't even decided for myself if I was getting out yet. But she started talking about a bigger house and places we could go and things we could do like it was a done deal.

She so didn't like the fact that I told her it was a no go. Hell, if I wasn't on base, I swear she would have come in and done a Lorena Bobbit on me. Yeah, I thought she was a little crazy when I met her. But I didn't think she was full on Looney. I guess seeing me suck face with another chick in the club where I met her my last night before briefing was a good play. But nothing else was working. She went just about ballistic on me. I ended up taking off with the chick before Sophie could do something insane. Whatever it was about that night, it made the chick I was with horny and hot for it. Hell what was her name, Franny, Phoebe, no Felicia, yeah that was it. Damn she was good. But the next day I had twenty calls from Sophie apologizing and asking me to come back to her. Yeah, not going to happen. Crazy lady is in my rearview mirror, that's for sure.

"Hey Sarge," Stackhouse says. "Sookie says she got your email and responded."

I nod. "Okay, good. I'll get in touch with the people I know now. I don't want it to wait."

I walk over to my bunk and remove my laptop from my locker. Booting it up, I look first at the response from Sookie. I have to smile at it. I don't think anyone could help themselves. God, what I would do to hear her voice. I bet is sounds as sweet as a spring morning. What the hell am I thinking? I don't wonder about things like this. Yeah, I don't do relationships. Wait, when did we go from thinking about what her voice sounds like to a relationship? Fuck, what is this woman doing to me? Why would I even think about that? Shit, Northman, get a grip. She is the sister of one of your men. She is trying to help the families of these men and right now you can help. That's all that this is. That is all that she needs from you and you are just trying to be a decent guy for a change. After all, once a jarhead, always a jarhead. Hoyt's widow and child deserve anything the military can do for them and you are just trying to make that happen. There is nothing else to it. You will do this and that will be the last contact you have with her.

Well, then and you will have to say thank you if she sends you any more of those melt in your mouth cookies. But that's just being polite. Eight months, you have eight months with these guys and that's it. They will go home to their lives and families and you will be a distant memory. You will go on with your life and re-enlist or something. Keeping your life alone. Just the way you like it.

I sigh again. That thought was nice about a month ago. Now, now, I'm not too sure.

I open a new email for Clancy and Jade. I explain as much as I know and give them the Stackhouse number and Sookie's email. I let them know that I probably won't be in contact for at least two weeks but if there is anything they can do in the interim to get rolling on it. I know as soon as the two of them hear what has happen they will be all over it. Like I said before, once a Marine, always a Marine. They will do everything in their power to help the Sergeant's widow. It's just what we do.

I look through my emails and see one from the loon. How she ever got this email address, I'll never know.

I open it out of shear curiosity.

_My Darling,_

_I know that we didn't part on such good terms and for that I'm sorry. You know I love you and seeing you with others just drives me insane. I know you were doing it just to put distance between us. I know that going over to that hell-hole is hard and you were just trying to spare me worry and heartache. But I want you to know that it's not going to work. I don't care what they do or where they send you. I will not stop thinking about you and waiting for you. I have already decided for us, sweetheart so there is nothing you need to do but come home to me safely. _

_I will be waiting._

_Sophie._

I read it twice. This woman is not on a loon but a twisted loon.

I hit the reply and say three simple words.

_Lose my address._

Deleting her email, I move to another. This one I'm really surprised to see..

_Eric,_

_I don't know if this email still works, but I thought I would give it a try. I hope you are okay. I don't know where you are right now, but Daddy watches the news every night and I hope you aren't in the bad places. I know that is what you do and you are trying to keep us safe, but I hate to think of you over there._

_Daddy and Mommy aren't around right now. Cleo, the new Nanny hasn't been told I'm not allowed to email, so I hope I can talk to you once or twice before they come home. I don't know when that will be. I think they are in China. Or maybe they were going to India? I don't really know._

_School is boring. Daddy is thinking of sending me to a school in Switzerland, but I don't want to go. My friends are here and I don't want to leave them. Even if Mommy and Daddy are gone so much, it's not like I'm alone. Cleo is nice and Heidi the cook makes really good cookies. Smith, the driver takes me to school and dance class, so really what do I need with them anyway? _

_I hope you are safe. I think about you a lot and hope you can write me soon._

_I hope you get this soon._

_Your Sister,_

_Pam._

I shake my head. My father hasn't changed in all these years. He wasn't there for me when I was a child and now he's doing it with Pamela. You would think that he would learn his lessons. You would think that her mother would do something about the time she spends alone. But then again, Nora never was one to think about anyone but herself. I should have learned that earlier than I did.

I hit reply and begin to write.

_Hello Pamela,_

_I am sorry that I haven't written sooner. I am in one of the bad places but don't worry. I'm keeping myself and the men safe. We will be home before you know it. _

_If you don't want to go away to school, you will have to tell your father and mother. If you don't speak up, they won't know. I was sent away to school for a few years but I didn't like it. I came home when I was sixteen. So I can understand. Just let them know and use the examples you gave me. It sounds like you are well cared for when they are away. _

_I am not going to be able to write for a while. But I wanted you to know that I was thinking about you and that I hope you are okay. _

_Stay safe and listen to your Nanny._

_Take Care,_

_Eric._

I close the laptop as the rest of the men start entering the barracks. We are headed to training in a few hours. After that, they are giving us a night to shower and sleep before we are heading out. According to the Lieutenant, we are not coming back for at least two weeks. They want us patrolling a new area that is heavily ensconced with insurgents. That is what the new training is for. We are literally going door to door looking for them. I think this will be the hardest mission we've ever been on. They are sending two units. I had met the other Unit Commander. I have to say, I'm not sure if I'm impressed or not. Franklin Motts doesn't seem like much of a leader. I hope I'm wrong. Huerta seems to be convinced that he'll do fine. I'm not sure how many field trips his men have been on and the Lieutenant wasn't giving us any information. I'm just hoping for the best.

Leaning back on my bunk, I close my eyes. My dreams are filled with a blonde haired blue eyed woman with a laugh that sounds like heaven. I can't really make out her face but she is beautiful. I know that no matter what, she's beautiful both inside and out. The dream is nicer than I've had in a very long time.

***0***

January 25th, 2008 Afghanistan

Sitting in the barracks, every man here has his head down. Some are praying, others are just thinking. We were instructed that all outside contact with family and love ones was shut off as of our training. No one wanted us to say a word about our mission. It was that serious and that, well, they just didn't want us to say a word.

I had been told that when the men were going out on a difficult mission, in the past, Sergeant Fortenberry had turned to Corporal Davis. Evidently his father is a preacher and he always had something that would put a positive attitude to the entire situation.

Standing, I walk to the center of the room.

"Corporal Davis!" I shout.

"Yeah Sarge," he stands to look at me.

"You have anything you would like to share with us before we embark on this mission, soldier. I hear you have many words of wisdom." I nod in his direction.

"Well, I have something, but…" He pauses.

"Spit it out, Soldier." I say to him.

He nods. "My wife sent me a You Tube link with a song. I think the prologue would be fitting at this time." He closes his eyes taking a deep breath.

"_The Eagle born to those who pledged their lives and sacred honor,  
Was smiled upon by God and freed from chains and iron collar.  
He is held aloft on unity, and by History, revered  
For preserving peace through strength his wings now reach across two hundred years…  
But for each of those, and one year more, God has smiled upon The Corp.  
From the Barbary Coast to the Eastern Sand, by sword, by gun, or by bare hand.  
So it's been, and shall be weighed:  
Though many are born….few are MADE.  
Faithful always, they shall remain,  
dogs let loose when war is waged. HU RA!"_

"HU RA!" The entire barracks exclaims.

I turn my head and see the Lieutenant enter. "Officer on the FLOOR!" I bark out.

Every man stands at attention.

Huerta walks in and makes his way to me. "Inspirational," he says so only I can hear.

I say nothing but he gives me another one of his smirks.

"Who are we?" He shouts out.

"We are Marines!" The unit responds.

"Who do we bow to?" He shouts again.

"NO ONE, Sir!" We all respond.

"Who?" He asks again.

"We are Marines we bow to NONE!" We all respond.

He nods and looks to me. "Deploy your mean, Sergeant."

"Sir!" I shout and turn to the unit. "Fall in!"

Double time, we head out to the waiting SUV's. I take a look at the men and then to the second team falling into the last three waiting vehicles. I say a little prayer that we all come back in one piece. As in my dreams I see a smile and blue eyes and feel warmth all through me. Shaking I focus on my men and what we are about to do. If we get out of this alive, I'll know truly that God smiles on The Corp.

***0***


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Yup, another chapter of Semper Fi is up and ready for you.

I would just like to say that I am bowled over at the response to this story. Daily, I get people either reviewing or PMing me letting me know about their service to this country, a family member or others that they know. I want to say once again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

This story is an entry to the IWTS contest which has closed it's doors to entries and the Judges are busy reading through what I'm sure is thousands of stories.

Okay, now sorry for the delay in update. My hubby has decided we are painting the exterior of the house (and it really isn't a small house), I'm COVERED in Poison Ivy for the first time in my entire life, it is hot as blazes up here in NH and oh, I'm supposed to leave for a girls weekend Thursday. But I hope to have at least one or two updates before I leave for my stories and perhaps a few while away.

But Until then, as always, thank you for reading and following along with my crazy imagination.

With much love...

***0***

Semper Fi chapter 4

***0***

Chapter 4 - For the few that wear the Dress Blues, We stay strong.

January 29th, 2008 – Painted Post, Montana

SPOV

It had been four days since we talked to the guys. Hadley had calmed down soon after the call, but it always takes her a day or two to get back into the swing of things, especially if they are heading back into the field. But, she keeps it together for Hunter's sake, if not for her own. She is just quieter than normal. Gran and Daddy are the same. Gran always seems to be in deep thought and Daddy spends a lot of time with the horses. Me, well, I just try to keep everything running.

I haven't been able to be at the ranch much in the last few days. When Sid Matt had emailed me that he had some work, he wasn't kidding. I am grateful for the work, and the distraction, if I'm really honest with myself. He is working on a land case up towards Havre. He needed a lot of research done on the deeds and property lines, so he called me in. It was quiet work, but I like it. It was even quieter considering that Sid Matt and I were the only two in the office for the first two days. His son, Matty, works with him from time to time on these sorts of deals. He is a surveyor and was up at the site getting new measurments so I could check them against the ones that the state had posted. Normally, I would have gone up to Havre to do the research but they had just finished transferring all plot documentation into their computer system. One call to Rosa Mendra up in records and I had a login and password for the next week. I really made things a lot more convenient. Matty had been sending me the numbers for the last three days and I've been checking them up. So far, there didn't seem to be any issues.

The other two attorneys that work in the practice were down in Great Falls for the first two days finishing up a divorce case. The wife had moved down there and refused to Painted Post under any circumstances. Since the husband was our client, he was being forced to attend deliberations down there. He really didn't have a leg to stand on. Jack and Lily Bard Leeds had been married for ten years. Lily Bard was fifteen years Jack's junior when they tied the knot. It was a big deal because Jack was then running for Mayor of our little town and Lily Bard had just been named first runner up in the Ms. Montana beauty pageant. Everyone, including her family thought the marriage was a mistake. Jack had already been married and divorced twice and was known around these parts as skirt chaser. Lily Bard thought that she could change him. Anyone who has been around men for any time know that a man ain't gonna change unless he wants to.

I have to admit, Jack was good for longer than anyone expected. Either that or he was really good at hiding it. That all changed when Lily came home early from her ladies sewing circle at the church to find a Jack's new young intern from the University on her knees with a certain part of Jack buried deep in her mouth. Yeah, we aren't Melrose Place or Desperate Housewives, but we get our fair share of drama here.

To keep it all hush hush, Lily Bard moved back down to Great Falls with her family and Jack was to give her anything she wanted. He was planning on running for the Senate next year and didn't need a scandal this close to elections. Not that being divorced three times wasn't going to hurt him. We are simple, honest folk in this area. Not being able to get it right after three times, says a lot about a man.

Our two other attorneys, William (Bill) Compton and Selena Pumphrey had been down in Great Falls putting the finishing touches on the settlement. I wanted no part of that case. I didn't like that the firm took it in the first place. Neither did Sid Matt, for that matter. But William was a partner in Lancaster and Compton, Attorneys at Law, so Sid really couldn't say anything.

I was just grateful that they were out of the office. One, Selena hated me and two, Bill liked me just a little too much for my taste. I'm not sure which one I dislike more. Okay, I dislike Bill's attention more than Selena's scowling at me. He is just plain creepy.

Selena Pumphrey came to the firm about five years ago. She had worked with Sid Matt on a case up in Havre and he was impressed with her. She was a first year at some big wig firm up there and he offered her a junior partnership is she agreed to stay with them for five years. She knew that the firm was small, but I'm not sure if she knew it was this small. I'm the only paralegal and I usually do most of the administrative work as well. I really don't mind. A lot of it I can do from home. If we need help, Sid asks his daughter Marilyn to come in to help. She has a little baby so it is hard for her to do a lot of work these days. So, Sid and Bill end up doing a lot of the work themselves. Selena didn't like that. She first demanded that I do every little thing for her, including getting her coffee. I don't mind getting coffee for someone if I'm getting some for myself. But I won't step and fetch for anyone. I told her as much and she marched into Sid's office demanding my immediate termination. He shrugged her off and told her that I was their paralegal, not office slave.

From that point forward, she would give me any work she could. I had to finally put my foot down when she was emailing me replies to her emails and asking me to forward them along. Sid was appauld that she was treating me in such a manner. An hour in his office and she came out looking like she was about to spit nails and shoot daggers at me. Evidently, she wanted her own secretary. Sid had informed her that if she could bring in enough business to warrant an assistant, he would consider it. That was six months ago and she has only brought in two new cases. The rest of the time, she's been working with Sid and Bill on their cases.

Yeah, having a Selena free zone for a few days was nice. But not as nice as having a free Bill zone. He just creeps me out. I really don't get why he is trying so hard with me. As far as I'm aware, his family is supposed to hate mine. According to their way of thinking, my family stole their land. It doesn't matter that his great-granddaddy was a drunk and gambled. That he sold the land to my grandparents (both sides) so he could pay off his debts. Yeah, that doesn't mean a thing. All they know is that our property is the largest in the state and that they could have had a chunk of it. Bill's father, Edward, makes no qualms about letting me know how much he hates me. He about threw a fit when Sid offered me the position at the firm. But, by then, Edward had retired and as senior partner, Sid could do what he liked.

You would have thought Bill would have felt the same. But from day one, he tried to flirt with me. He isn't really good at it. I would thwart his advances at every turn and he just didn't get the hint. Even when I was dating Tray, he didn't get the hint. When we broke up, he tried to be the "understanding friend" but I wasn't buying it. Now, he's just plain annoying. He asks me out at least a dozen times a month and uses every avenue. He's even offered to marry me and get me away from all the ranch stuff. Like that will ever happen. Any man who wants to spend my life with me will have to understand that the ranch and my family are part of the package.

Like I said, the first two days were nice. The last two, not so much.

Selena arrived on day three with a scowl in my direction and a giggle and smile in Bill's. I wonder what happen in Great Falls that would turn her attention to Bill so quickly. I've no idea and really, I don't want to know. If he's turned his attentions to Selena, all the better for me. But he side stepped her the first day to talk to me which just sent more daggers in my direction. I ignored most of it since I had work to do for Sid. Bill didn't take the hint until I was called into Sid's office for something. When I came out, he and Selena were behind closed doors. When it was time for me to leave, they were still in the office so I just left. It was nice to leave without any fanfare for once.

Today, started out the same. Selena came in, scowled at me and went to her office. Bill was late coming in but when he did, he immediately entered my office and sat himself down in one of my chairs.

I thought he would be gone for the day and so, kept my door open. Sighing, I turn away from my computer to look at him. "Is there something you needed, Bill?" I ask.

He smirks. On another man it would have looked sexy. On him, it just looked sleazy. "Oh, there is much I want but for now, I need your help finishing up this divorce case."

I shake my head. "Sorry, I'm working with Sid Matt. You will have to wait or have Selena help you. These reports are due in court by the end of the week and I still have a lot of research to do."

He leans forward. "Come now, Sookie. I have a lot more interesting things for you to do than research. This is a juicy divorce case. It would look well on your resume to work on it."

I lean back in my chair. "Since I don't care to pad my resume, Bill, I don't see how that is reason to stop working with Sid Matt. Besides, I don't plan on having to use my resume to get another job."

He smirks again. "You don't think of working for one of the big firms up north? Come on, you are a paralegal. You could probably write a brief better than some attorneys I've known. You must want to expand your horizons."

I shrug. "Havre is over an hour away. I wouldn't want to do that commute. It's too far from home. Plus, I'm needed at the ranch most days. I wouldn't be able to find someone up there that was willing to be so flexible with my hours."

"That damn ranch," he says and pushes himself up out of the chair. "Don't you see that place is dragging you down? Everyone there is a bunch of dead end losers. I hate to see such a smart, beautiful girl like yourself get stuck in that place. It's going to kill you."

"Bill, it is my family's home. We have a thriving business and have been doing better than ever. Hell, three other ranches have sold out the last ten years and we've expanded. I love what we do, I love my family and I have a responsibility to the family business. Surely you understand that. Didn't you come here to fill your father's shoes?"

He ignores the last part. "You know what, Susannah," he says to me. The only time he calls me Susannah is when he's trying to be sexy or trying to be serious. Both times it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. "The only reason you are stuck in this town is because your stupid brother decided to run off an play war games. You could have been something big. Why don't you just walk away from the ranch. You know as soon as your Daddy dies, you aren't going to be able to run it." He laughs. "A little girl like you needs someone to protect her. Why don't you take me up on my offer? We could leave this town and never look back."

I'm out of my chair before I know it and am in his face. "Don't you EVER talk bad about my brother again, William Compton. He is braver and smarter than you will ever be. He is doing something wonderful this country and I'm damn proud of him!" I scream at him.

"What's he doing, Sookie? We don't belong over there…" He begins but I interrupt him.

"NOT a DAMN word William Compton. I'm warning you!" I scream again.

"What's going on in here?" I hear from the door. We both turn to see Sid Matt standing there.

"Nothing," Bill says. "I'm just trying to have a normal conversation with Sookie here and she's getting hot under the collar."

"What's he said to you, Sookie?" He asks me.

I shake my head and turn back to Bill. "I will thank you not to talk about my family anymore." I say to him.

"Fine, Sookie. When you're ready to see reason, you come and find me." He says and turns to walk out the door. "Remember what I said Sookie. You need me."

He walks out and I just look at the door for a few seconds.

"Sookie?" Sid Matt says.

I blink a long blink and then look at look at Sid. "Sorry," I say softly. "I'll…I'll do the rest of this from home, if it's alright." I go to collect my papers.

"Sookie," Sid says and places a hand on my arm. "What did he say to you?"

I look up at him and will the tears in my eyes away. "Nothing, Sid Matt," I shake my head. "He and I have difference of opinions about many things. He just decided that today is a good day to debate me."

He is silent for a moment and then sighs. "You heard from the boys?" He asks. I don't need him to elaborate. I know who he means.

I nod. "A few days ago," I say. "They were going back out and we will probably not hear from them for some time."

"They are good boys. Damn proud of Jason and Remy. You know that the McAllister's boy, Jacob over from St. Pierre just enlisted, Air Force I think." He says.

I had heard that another one of our neighbors was being shipped out. "He just enlist or is this the one that just shipped out?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Nah, that was the Cowee kids. All three of them enlisted. Two of them shipped out a week ago. One is still down in Texas in training."

I've known the Cowee family all my life. Jeff and Mason had been a year ahead of me in school. Carlton had been the year behind me. Their mother Elise ran he local bakery. "I'll need to stop in and see Mrs. Cowee soon. I'll send a letter to the McAllister's. I think I've only seen Mr. McAllister at an auction or two. I'll need to ask Daddy. He probably knows him."

Sid Matt smiles. "You are a good girl, Sookie. I don't think many would care enough about the families of our boys more than you do."

I shrug. "They are fighting hard over there. The least I can do is make sure we are all okay over here." I say to him. "Jason would do the same if the roles were reversed."

"I'm not too sure about that." He says. I'm about to say something but he puts up his hand. "Now, don't get upset. I'm just saying that you care not only for your brother's unit but other families in the area with sons and daughters over there. You go well beyond what you are expected, Sookie Stackhouse. We are all proud of you. Just…" he pauses. "Just take time to feel the pain too."

"What?" I ask him.

"You are so busy taking care of everyone else, you don't give yourself time to feel." He takes my hand in his. "You need to feel what you're feeling. Someone needs to hold you while you cry too."

I shake my head. "I'll cry when they come home. Until then," I take my hand out of his and grab the rest of the papers. "Until then, I've got too much to do." I say. "I'll have these done by tomorrow."

He nods. "Okay, Sookie. You go on home." He says and walks out.

I finish collecting the rest of my things and head for the door.

"Early day, I see." I hear Selena call from the copier. "Must be nice to make your own hours."

I shake my head. I so don't need to get into another argument. I pull on my winter coat and open the door to the parking lot. It had started to snow again this morning and it looks like it hasn't stopped. Sighing, I make my way to my truck, start it up to get warm and then jump out to clean it off. Maybe someday, Sid Matt will cover the damn parking lot so we don't have to clean off the cars. Yeah, pigs will fly tomorrow too.

***0***

It takes me almost an hour in the snow to make it back to the ranch. Pulling up on the side, I climb out and am in the house quickly. Looking back out, I don't see anyone but that's not really unexpected. It's only midafternoon and most of the men would be out doing something or another. There is no rest on a ranch, even in the snow. I'll need to look in on the horses. But first I want to get in and change. I don't usually wear dresses and suits to the office unless we are going to court. But I did put on nicer slacks and a sweater. If I'm going to be in the barn, I'll need warmer and tougher things than my wool tweed slacks.

Walking around to the mudroom door, I go in and start taking off my winter gear when I hear my name from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me. I thought I would work the rest of the day from here." I say.

Gran pokes her head in. "Good, I called the office about twenty minutes ago. Sid Matt said you were on your way home."

"Yeah, the roads are getting icy. Think you should call Daddy and have them come in soon." I pull off my boots and pad in to the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll do that, but Holly needs you." She says.

"Why? What's wrong?" I ask as I look around and see her on the phone.

"Yes, she just walked in." I hear Holly say. "One moment I'll put you on speaker." Holly motions for me to join her. "Captain Brighten, this is my friend Susannah Stackhouse." She says.

"Miss Stackhouse, it is a pleasure to speak with you. I am here with Captain Flower. I believe Staff Sergeant Northman told you to expect our call?" He says.

I open my eyes wide. "He did. But truthfully, I didn't expect to hear from you quite this quickly." I say to him.

"Northman explained in an email what has transpired with Sergeant Fortenberry's widow. I for one am sicken by what has transpired. Captain Flower feels the same. We are ready to work with you both if you are ready to move forward."

I look at Holly who has tears in her eyes. "I don't understand. What are we moving forward with?" I ask them.

"Forgive me," Captain Brighten says. "We have been speaking with Holly for over an hour. I will give you the abridged version and then she can bring you up to speed. In a nutshell, Sergeant Fortenberry's mother has been trying to say that his marriage to his wife was annulled. How she is coming up with these papers, is beyond me and it's something that we are looking into. As soon as we got the email from Northman, we started our investigation to see what we were up against. It is clear that the Sergeant not only made his wife his ICE but also the sole beneficiary of all combat pay and death benefits. How his mother thought she would be getting away with this is beyond me. He also requested in his documentation to be creamated in the event of his death and to be placed to rest either in Arlington Cemetary or where his wife had seen fit. Upon retrieving the death notice, it was his mother's signature on the documentation, not his wife's. Mrs. Maxine Fortenberry has a lot of explaining to do. We have attempted to contact the local police but they are being less than helpful."

"Yeah, we kind of got that impression when we were there. They all seemed to know what was going on and no one did a thing to help Holly and Jessica." I say to them.

"We are aware of that. We have also contacted a friend of Captain Flowers in New Orleans. She works in the DA's office. Her name is Anabeth Masen. She is willing to work with us and you on the civil side of things. Holly has informed us that you are a paralegal?"

"I am. I work for Lancaster and Compton here in town." I look over to Holly who has a soft smile on her face.

"I will contact Mr. Lancaster tomorrow. I believe he is who was trying to help Holly. We are hoping that you will be able to work with both us and our connection in New Orleans to assist in getting Holly and her daughter all that is rightfully hers. We can only do so much. The rest will have to be handled by civilian authorities." He says.

"Yes, of course. I'll do anything that is needed. I want Holly and Jessica to have peace and what is theirs. Hoyt was a good man and loved his family. What his momma is doing is…"

"Is downright disgraceful." I hear a woman say. I'm assuming that it's Captain Flowers.

"I agree." I look at Holly.

"I don't know how we are ever going to thank you," she says and I can see the tears falling down her face.

"It should be us thanking you, ma'am." Captain Brighten says. "Once a Marine always a Marine; even on to death. Your husband gave his life for our protection and freedom. It is only right and just that we do right by his wife and family. Ms. Stackhouse," he continues.

"Sookie, please call me Sookie." I say.

"As you like, Sookie. We will be in contact in a few days as soon as we have all the documentation we need. I have given Holly a list of things we will need from her. Once she gets us those documents we will start from here."

"We will make sure we get them to you as soon as possible," I turn to see that Daddy has entered the room. He moves over to Holly and has taken her in his arms as her tears start to fall in earnest.

"Mrs. Fortenberry, I'm sure you haven't heard this yet. But on behalf of the US Marine Corp, we would like to thank you for your sacrifice and we are deeply grieved for your loss. Marines take care of their own and we intend to do just that on behalf of our fallen brother."

"Th…thank you." She says softly between her tears.

The call ends and I just watch as Holly finally cries for the loss of her husband. I decide right then and there. Whatever she needs and whatever we can do to make this right, we will. I look up and see Daddy's eyes. I know from that one look that he agrees with me one hundred percent.

Walking out of the room, I make my way down the hall to Daddy's office. Sitting on his desk is a picture of Jason and Remy just out of basic training. They are in their dress blues and they are smiling at the camera. I brush my hand over it and smile. I remember that day. They were so damn proud. I couldn't help but be proud myself. They were doing something they believed so much in. How could you be anything but proud?

I remember something a woman standing next to us say that day when she saw the tears welling up in my eyes. She said, "For the few that wear the Dress Blues, We stay strong."

I nod at the picture. "I'll do my best Jason. I'll be strong as long as you need me to be."

Taking another deep breath, I sit behind Daddy's desk and start working on paperwork for the ranch. You can't imagine how much can pile up when I'm in town. There is going to be a lot to do in the up coming weeks. I can't afford to be lax on my duties now.

I'm sure that I'm in the office for an hour or so when I hear someone at the door. I look up to see Daddy standing there.

"Hey," I say and go back to the files. "You are terrible at this, you know that?" I laugh.

He comes in and sits in the chair in front of me. "Holly is resting upstairs. Hunter is on his way home. The storm is getting bad. The boys are all coming in."

I nod. "I'll just finish this up and get in the kitchen to help Gran."

"You are a remarkable girl, Sookie. You make me proud." He says.

I shake my head. "Jason makes us proud, Daddy. I'm just keeping the balls in the air until he can get home to us."

"Sweet girl, that has nothing to do with it. You are wonderful person. I hope you know that?"

I smile at him. "I'm doing my best. But somedays…"

"Sid Matt called me. Told me you had a scuffle with Bill Compton. Anything you want to tell me about that?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I should be used to that man by now. But some days he just gets under my skin. I shouldn't have yelled at him. I know better."

"Sookie, the Compton family has had a chip on their shoulder about us for some time now. It isn't your fault that they think the way they do. It's just the way it is."

I sigh. "That's just it. He isn't cruel. He keeps trying to get me to date him."

Daddy laughs.

"I know. I don't get it either." I say.

"Well, I understand why he wants to date my beautiful daughter. I just don't seem to understand how he would justify it to his father. The man left the Agway the other day when I came in to check on some things I ordered. He was grumbling something under his breath but I gave up listening to that old man years ago."

"That's what I mean. He has no reason to be even talking to me. Not to mention that Selena Pumphrey is after him like a dog in heat." I huff.

"That bad?" He laughs.

"You have no idea. I'm just glad I don't need to be in the office all the time." I say.

"Well, if he gets to much, you let me know. I can pay him a visit if you want." He says.

I shake my head. "It'll be fine. I don't need to cause a scene. If I ignore him long enough he'll go away."

"Still, it gets out of hand you let me or Sid Matt know. You don't need to be dealing with it."

I smile. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

He stands. "See that you do," he says and smirks. "None of the boys are good enough around here for my little girl. You know that, don't you?"

I laugh again. "Would there be anyone out there good enough for me, Daddy?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Maybe, but he would need to be some kind of wonderful to get past me and Jason. He is almost as protective of you as I am."

He walks out and I turn back to the computer. I finish up the paperwork quickly and then on impulse, open my emails and send off two. Before I can think again, I shut it down to go help Gran.

I smile as I walk past the picture again. "Stay safe, Jason." I say and walk out to do what needs doing. I can't help but think how long this day has been already and it isn't even dinner time. My how my life is full.


	5. IWTS Winners are posted

No…I'm sorry, this isn't an update. But I had to tell you!

WE WON!

I am beyond going nuts at this point! Both Semper Fi and Redneck Yacht Club WON!

Semper Fi won the Multi-Chapter Award and Redneck Yacht club won the Host Award:

I would like to thank all the Judges at the "I Write the Songs Contest" as well as everyone that read and voted. I am just – WOW! I can't even talk and that is just…well so unheard of for me.

I would like to send a special thank you for Northwoman who put up with my constant stream of questions regarding the contest. Thank you for putting up with my neurotic self!

If you wish to see the rest of the winners, check them out at:  i-writethesongs . /


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - So Gung-ho to go and pay the price

***0***

I have no first-hand knowledge of the type of mission Eric and his unit are going to find themselves in. In no way am I trying to degrade or demean anything that has, is or will be going on overseas. This is all from my imagination, movies and footage that I've seen and what little I've read in the news. In saying that, I would like to take a moment to once again thank everyone that has served in our military, families that have supported them and all the people that work very hard to let our brothers and sisters know how much we appreciate them. In the last chapter, I quoted from a You Tube video. It is called the _**Warrior Song**_. Please go take a look at it and its accompanying site. It is worth the 6 minutes watching, I can guarantee it!

So, as you know, Semper Fi has won the _I Write the Songs 2012 _multi-chapter award. I want to once again thank everyone who supported, voted and worked on stories for this contest. I've also been asked where you can find all the entries. I thought I had posted that, but just in case you can find them at: community/ I_Write_the_Songs_Contest/84413/99/0/1/0/0/0/0/

(Choose all ratings to be sure to get M rated as well as T).

All the winners can be found at:  i-writethesongs.blogspot.com/

As always, remove the spaces and replaces the.

Once again, I would like to send a huge shout out to DazedRose for the awesome banners she made for all the contest winners. Thank you again.

Okay, so here is chapter 5 of Semper Fi. More will be coming shortly. Thank you again for reading and reviewing!

***0***

February 5, 2008 Afghanistan

EPOV

I take in the scene around me for about the five hundredth time since I've gotten here. Damn, this is like something out of a fucking bad dream. It's one thing to be in combat. But this, damn we have no idea where the damn insurgents are. Half the people have left this village and we've no idea where they've gone. They just up and left like dust in the wind. Intelligence told us that the village was just about bustling before we got here. But once we were in sight of the walls, you could tell that intelligence was either grossly exaggerating or they were providing data that was no longer valid. Some days I wish my rank insured I was privy to information before my unit is deployed. Sure I'm given what I need. But intelligence said that this place was an insurgent cell. I mean, I wouldn't call the place a ghost town, but it was getting close. Okay, not so close as to be completely abandoned. But it seems that about half the population has moved on out. Whether it was due to us moving in or the Taliban, it really doesn't matter. They are just gone. Like I said, I would love to have first-hand knowledge of what yahoo thought that this place is a cell. Looking around the street again, I can't help but get one of my feelings. And it's not one that is giving me the warm and fuzzies either. This shit is just making my skin crawl.

Shit, this is nuts. I've heard stories about Ops like this, but I didn't believe it was this bad. We are literally moving building to building. God, we are just walking in and out of people's homes. Well, what you could call a home. Most of the structures are either crumbling down or half standing. I don't think I've seen many four walled structures in the whole time we've been out here. It's like something out of a video game. Personally, I never liked playing any of those war games. Okay, I've not liked them since I've been over here. Way too close for comfort, if you ask me. When you do this shit for a living, the last thing you want to do is see it for enjoyment. Hell, but this is really something out of that _Call of Duty_ game. I swear urban combat was not something I wanted to witness first-hand. Hell, I thought finding shit in the desert was bad. This is ten times worse. Every time we come face to face with a civilian, we take the risk of them being an insurgent or sympathizer. Every damn day is the same fucking thing.

Shit, how long have we been here? I think we are working on a week at this point. Shit, has it really been a week? Maybe it's been longer. No, it can't be longer. It is so fucking easy to lose time here. But no, it's only been a week, I'm sure of it. Even though we haven't had much sleep and are working in shifts, it's got to be only a week. A week, in this maze of people and buildings and we've still found nothing. Finding nothing and having no one here makes you do two things: It makes you hyper-focused on every fucking little movement. It also makes your mind wonder some. You can't help it. Every guy here has does it. It's a survival technique that nobody teaches you, but everyone does it, even me. I used to think about all the women I'd been with before deployment. Or maybe sitting on the beach and watching the waves. But for some reason, that's all changed. Hell, all I can really think about is that maybe there will be an email from a beautiful girl with a heart to match when I get back. When did I start fucking thinking about Stackhouse's sister all the damn time? I've not even seen a damn picture of her, yet. Wait what the fuck do I mean, yet? But I'm really not sure it matters that I've not seen her face. Everything I've heard and everything I've seen tells me that this woman is not like all the women who hang around the base. I can't believe I'm thinking about a woman that I've only exchanged a few lines to text with. What the hell is wrong with me? But I can't help myself. I don't think I've ever heard about anyone, man or woman that is like her. Hell, I don't think authors and playwrights even written about women like her. She is so damn, oh fuck, she's perfect. Yeah, that's what she is, she's fucking perfect. Who would take time out to help people they've never met? Who would take an entire Unit of men under their wing and make them feel like home isn't so far away? That is what is so scary. She's so fucking perfect she can't be real. At the very least, she can't be human; because humans aren't perfect. Humans are…well, they disappoint you. No matter how much you don't think they will, they end up doing it; every fucking time.

"_Two vehicles pulling into the Northwest gate," _I hear over my tac-com taking me out of my inner musings and refocusing me on what I'm supposed to be doing.

"_Vehicles are old cargo vans. It looks to be at least two individuals in each. Possibly more, stand by." _I hear again.

"_Bravo team leader, here. We are positioned at the west gate. We will check it out."_ I hear Mott say.

"_Bravo leader, wait until they give the go or no go. It could be an ambush,"_ I say to him. "_Wait for eagle eyes to tell us what they see."_

"_Alpha leader, you handle your men, I'll handle mine. Bravo team in position. Tac three and four are overhead. One and two are with me. Six and seven are moving in position behind the incoming vehicles. We will be able to obtain control of the vehicles in moments."_ He says again.

Stupid asshole, I say to myself as I start running from our position at the south gate.

"Sarge, they are going in?" Jason asks me.

I look at him. "They aren't listening. You got something?" I ask him.

He points up. I look up to Herveaux and Savoy on the highest tower in the compound.

"_Alpha tac three, what do you see?_" I ask into the com.

"_Tac one, this isn't good, the back tires are rolling real low on the second van. I'm thinking…"_

Before he can say anything else, we hear an explosion and the fire ball that goes up could probably be seen from space. It definitely can be seen over the buildings.

"_Shit, fall in!" _I scream at my unit.

"_Explosion! Vehicle two blew just inside the wall. Vehicle one is on fire. Doors are opening. Three men coming out the back, three coming out the front. Three made it out of vehicle two, armed, AK-47's take fucking cover!" _I hear Savoy announce from his perch.

"_Bravo lead, report!"_ I scream as I continue running through the streets. Stackhouse and Davis are on my flanks. I hear nothing. "_Fuck Mott report. Are you hit?"_ I call out again. "_Base, Tac Bravo leader not responding. We may have casualties. Possible deployment, back up Cisco Brava Alpha."_

We turn the corner to see the two vans with the men that deployed from them taking cover. Shots are firing above us. I look up to see three of Mott's men laying down a drape to get the insurgents to fall back.

"_Bravo team, count in!" _I finally say. If I can't get Mott to answer, the least I can do is to get his men accounted for.

"_Three, five, six, four,"_ I hear being called out. "_One, two and eight are down!" _I hear someone say.

"_Alpha unit fall in. Tac one formation. We need to do a flat screen to get those men out."_ I yell at my men.

As the men yell out their acknowledgments, I make my way around to get a better view point. The idiot Mott didn't give his exact location so I'm not sure where he ran in from. All I know is what his men said.

"_Location of downed men," _I yell out.

I am given the coordinates. I look over to see that Savoy and Stackhouse are closer than I am. They are looking around and I see Savoy hit Stackhouse and point.

"_Savoy, report!" _I call out as I try to make my way to them. Fuck the numbers, I need to know what the hell is going on.

"_Bravo lead is moving, one man down, not moving. The other looks like he's trying to help. All three are hurt. Alpha tac nine and ten are closer than us."_

I look past them to see Lenier and Williams in a better advantage point. Fire continues and stops me from advancing. Savoy and Stackhouse are both diving for cover as well.

"_Base, under heavy fire, Northwest gate. Three men down. We need some aerial help to get this under control." _I say.

"_Number of combatants_?" I hear over the speaker.

"_We thought that there were only five, but it seems to be more_," I say as I look around. It seems like they've come out of the woodwork. "_I'd say nine, maybe ten at last count. But confirmation has not been made."_

"_Source of explosion?" _They ask. Like that makes a hill of a difference. We need help and we need it now.

"_IED took out one vehicle, not aware what is in the other. Could possibly be another IED or fucking worse! We need to shut this down NOW_!" I yell as another spray of bullets fly over our head.

"_ETA, ten minutes for air control_."Base says.

"_Ten minutes, this can be over in two if that other vehicle goes,_"I say back. This is not going good. "_Alpha, Bravo units fall back ten meters. Stay as far away from the vehicles as possible,_" I yell to the men. "_I want none of you near it if they decide to blow it!"_

"_Nine and Ten in visual contacts of downed men, moving in to help." _I hear Lenier say.

"_Nine, wait until we can get you cover."_ I say to him.

"_Sarge, we see them…"_ I hear Savoy say. Guess I'm not the only one that said 'fuck it' to the numbers. "_Stackhouse and I can be in position in two clicks."_

"_Negative, I repeat, negative. We need air support before we get closer. Damn it Mott talk to me! Lenier, Williams stand down. We need support before we…"_

With that, the other vehicle goes up in a blaze. The light is so bright; I swear you would think you're looking right into the sun.

"_Men DOWN!" _I hear from above as the flashback from the explosion slams into us.

***0***

February 7th, 2008 Painted Post, Montana

SPOV

It has been over a week since we've spoken with the guys. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have no word from them. However, since we've talked to Captain Brighten and Flowers, things have been quite busy around here. Not busy enough for me not to worry. Shoot, I don't think it will ever be that busy. But the work was a nice distraction from worrying all the time. Plus it had the added advantage of helping someone as sweet and as nice as Holly. I do believe everyone has taken a shine to her. Gran has just about split herself in two, having two more girls to spoil. She just loves both Holly and Jessica. Daddy has done nothing but try to comfort Holly any time she gets upset. And seeing him with Jessica makes me realize how lucky I was to have him as a daddy. He is just so good with her.

The day after the initial call from JAG, I went into the office, bypassing my door and knocked right on Sid Matt's. I heard him tell me to come in and when I did, I found him on the phone. He only spent another minute on the line before getting off to tell me that he had spoken to the JAG officers and the ADA from Louisiana. According to him, we were going to get that woman for everything thing she had. Hell, according to the ADA, she may be looking at charges between the fraud, theft and endangerment situations. I think if we could have hanged her, Sid Matt wouldn't have been upset.

That was just about a week ago and I've been splitting my time between working in the office and dealing with things on the Ranch. The documentation that Captain Brighten asked Holly for was easy and hard to obtain. He needed copies of her marriage certificate, the baby's birth certificate, documentations that Hoyt had given her before he left; information on the house, and a few other things.

You would think that the marriage certificate would be the easiest to obtain, but you would be very wrong to assume anything would be easy about this case. In an angry fit, Mrs. Fortenberry had ripped the marriage certificate up one night after she moved Holly and Jessica into her house. The story she told me about that night made my skin crawl. For the thousandth time, I wondered why in the hell Holly didn't tell us what had happened to her. After my anger of the situation receded, I tried to think of the situation objectively. It may have been a setback but it was okay, in the end. A call to the Shreveport County Clerk's office got us a certified copy of their marriage certificate along with a signed document indicating that there is no record of any documentation regarding a divorce or annulment having been submitted to the Clerk's office. It wasn't as good as an affidavit, but it could still hold up in court. While on the phone, I got certified copies of the baby's birth certificate as well. I was certain that we would need a few and I didn't want to have to go running after them when we were in the middle of this mess. Thankfully, Holly had hidden the documents Hoyt had given her before deployment in with a few other things that Mrs. Fortenberry never found which were a blessing in itself. I don't even want to think about what would have happened to the two of them if that wretched woman found those documents. I guess we should be happy for small miracles in this screwed up situation.

The information about the house and sale, Holly didn't have and the Bon Temps town hall wasn't being so easy to deal with or forthcoming with any information. After a twenty minute run around and the woman on the phone telling me they couldn't give me that information, I decided to get a little tough and shake a few trees. Hell, something usually falls out when you shake them, right? I mentioned that the house had been in Holly's name, along with Hoyt's, and that she had full power of attorney over any affairs that had anything to do with the property. This we found out when we researched the documentation that Hoyt left her. It was really good, actually. Not many people think of that kind of a thing and I was very grateful that Hoyt saw to it. I indicated that as one of Holly's legal staff, I had the right to see any documentation regarding his estate. The woman on the other end, a Marge Fuller, wasn't shaken by the use of the word legal. In fact, she pretty much laughed at my threat. That just got me even more steamed.

"I don't know what to tell you, Miss Stackhouse," Marge sang to me. "I really can't give you that kind of information unless you are here and show me some kind of ID. Even then, you and what is her name? Oh yes, this Holly person would have to convince the county judge that you are indeed who you say you are."

"Mrs. Fuller," I say to her. "You do realize that I'm speaking on behalf of an attorney?" I ask her.

"In Montana," she says. "You can get that information from Hoyt's Momma, if you want. I KNOW she always took care of Hoyt's affairs. Why don't you try her?" She says rather smugly.

"You do realize that any false reports or signatures are considered fraud, Mrs. Fuller?" I ask her. "If you have any information that pertains to or deals with the sale of the house on 337 Sandhurst Lane, I would advise you to let me know now," I say to her. "Otherwise, we may have an issue on our hands. I would hate to see you or anyone that works with you getting into any kind of trouble because of a favor to a friend."

"Well, if you think there is a problem with any kind of documents we have taken regarding this issue, I suggest you call Sheriff Dearborn. But he's out at his fishing place for another week. Best you wait until next week to try and get a hold of him. Until then, I don't think there is anything I can help you with." She says and hangs up.

I wasn't falling for her diversion. If I waited a week, any and all documentation regarding the sale of the house will be "lost". I just know it. This woman knows that if anyone looks at the documents, they will be able to tell that neither Holly nor Hoyt's name are legitimate. I hate to think that everyone in that town knew what Maxine Fortenberry was doing. The thought of that would just break my heart. I just don't want to think people could be so incredibly cruel.

Not wasting any more time, I immediately called the real estate agent who brokered the sale of the house. I could only hope that the agent would take pity on us. As luck would have it, the agent was from Mendon, a little town just south of Bon Temps. Michael Fitzsgivens was also not from around those parts. In fact, he only moved to the area to get away from a bad divorce several years before. He remembered the deal quite vividly since it was one of his first in his new home. I guess he's from somewhere around Baton Rouge. I didn't get into much of the details of his move. Once he said that he wasn't from Bon Temps, I sort of stopped listening. If things get a little edgy, I may have to have him investigated. Until then, I'll let it go.

I explained who I was and what I needed. I did mention that there was a concern that Mrs. Holly Fortenberry was forced to sell the home and that things may not be as legit as he had thought. At the risk of losing his license and face with the people in the area, he faxed over every item he had on the sale.

"I…if you need anything else, Ms. Stackhouse, you be sure to call me, now, ya' hear. I don't want any issues with any kind of scandal. I was under the impression that Holly had moved away and Hoyt's mother was helping them with the sale." He says to me.

"I see," I say. "Will you be willing to talk to Holly's attorneys regarding all of this?" I ask him.

"I…I'll do anything if it means I don't get into any trouble. I don't want any cause for things to go pear shaped for me. I understood that Hoyt was overseas?" he asks. "I thought that Holly and her baby had moved away. Mrs. Fortenberry was a little upset when I asked about her. I thought maybe there was some trouble there."

"No, no trouble that wasn't Mrs. Fortenberry's doing. And in case you hadn't heard, Hoyt Fortenberry was laid to rest not too long ago." I say softly.

"Oh…well….I am sorry to hear that. He was….well you should have seen him and his new bride when they bought the place. It was real sweet. Please let her know how sorry I am. Of course, I'll do anything to help her out."

Thanking him, I said my goodbyes and waited for all the documents to come through. Once they were in hand, I immediately got going on faxing them to my email so that I could send them off to the JAG office, the ADA office and have electronic files for Sid Matt in our system.

Just as I finished the last set of documents, I feel a chill on my back as the door opens and closes behind me. I turn to see who is coming through the door. I should have known. It felt colder than it should. Selena gives me an ice glare as she walks past me and right into her office. She slams the door but not before I hear her mumble something I can't quite make out.

Just as I'm about to make it back to my office, the door opens again and Bill walks in. Yeah, so could have gone another week without seeing him. But I guess my luck wasn't that good.

The Leeds divorce had hit a snag. It appears that Lily was pregnant and hadn't informed her lying, cheating husband yet. I think the divorce would have gone through without him knowing except some would-be tabloid reporter announced on his blog that Mrs. Leeds was seen exiting a local OB/GYN. He suggested that he had information regarding a pregnancy. However, with the pending divorce between the good Mayor and his estranged wife, that the baby possibly wasn't his. Well, that just set off a media fire that both parties were trying to avoid. Not to mention Mr. Leed's campaign office was in a spiral about the whole thing. Selena and Bill had been down in Great Falls to one, do damage control and two to calm down the notorious Mr. Jack Leeds so as not to cause himself or his campaign any further problems. From what little I've heard, he was not taking the news that his soon-to-be ex was in fact pregnant very graciously. Well, that and his little chippy on the side had been making noises as well regarding her desire to not end their little tryst. If I had heard correctly, Bill had indicated that the little co-ed wanted to be the next Mrs. Jack Leeds. If not, she was going to the press with not only pictures but, well, video that they…um…made of well, you know. Yeah, like I said, not Desperate Housewives but we get our fair share of scandal and smut.

Bill looked me up and down and smirked. Why do I feel like I need a shower?

"Sookie, we are going to need you to do some work for us regarding this disaster of a divorce. Leeds is adamant that the baby can't be his. We need information on pregnancies, paternity tests, and most especially the accuracy of the tests given. I need…"

I put my hand up. "I'm sorry, Bill. If you need my help, you are going to have to talk to Sid Matt. We are in the middle of a situation here and I really don't have any more time to devote to you."

"What….that Pro Bono thing you and Sid Matt are working on?" he asks me. "That thing with that woman that is staying with you all? Let Sid Matt take care of that if he wants to. That case isn't going anywhere anyway. Your salary isn't worth wasting on a Pro Bono case. This thing with Leeds…this is prime time news, Sookie. If we get this right, we could be on our way to working with the next Senator of Montana. He's going to need some local council and we can be it."

I shake my head. "Sorry, I'm really busy. If Sid Matt relieves me of some of my duties, then fine. But as it is, I'm here ten more hours this week than I normally am and the week isn't even over yet." I shrug and go to walk away.

But before I can make it around him, Bill grabs my arm. I pull away and in doing so drop all the papers on the floor. Huffing, I bend down to pick everything up. Bill doesn't even offer to help, the leech. Didn't his momma teach him any manners?

"You know, Sookie, when Sid Matt retires, you won't have him to hide behind anymore." He says, a little lower than normal. But the edge in his voice is a little harsher than I've ever heard. It actually makes me a little uncomfortable.

Picking up the last of my files, I look up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask as I rise.

"It means," he moves a little closer. "Someday, and that day may be sooner than you think, I'll be in charge here. If you want to keep your job, you should be worried about staying in my good graces. Not working Pro Bono cases that do nothing for this firm. You'd best remember who will be signing the checks," he looks me up and down, "Susannah."

I bite back my response. I had promised myself that I would keep my comments to myself where Bill Compton was concerned. But when he gets like this, it's really hard.

I'm about to just leave when the door opens again. I look around Bill to see Edward Compton come walking in. He takes one look at me and his son together and growls. I mean the old man actually growls.

"Sid Matt in his office?" He asks.

I nod not wanting to say a word. The man is old and withered but he still gives me all kinds of creepies. If I was a little uncomfortable at Bill's tone before, I'm a lot uncomfortable with having his father in the building.

"Good!" He growls again and walks past us.

Without knocking, he walks right into Sid Matt's office and slams the door so hard that it shakes the hotel style paintings on the walls. Who put them up anyway? I always hated them. But that is totally getting off topic.

"What is all that about?" I ask the room. Not expecting Bill to answer.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." He says with a little chuckle.

I turn to look at him. Waiting for him to elaborate.

When he doesn't, I roll my eyes and head to my office.

"Remember what I said, Sookie," he says to me. "I'm the one you should be kissing up too."

I turn at the last minute. "Bill, the day I kiss up to you will be a cold day in hell," I say with a slam of my own door. God that man is such a tool!

I get back to work and hear doors slamming all around me but nothing else. I would have expected that there would be some sort of screaming. Hell, anytime Edward shows up, there is bound to be some yelling. Mostly, it has to do with something about me and my place at the firm. I try to ignore it, like I always have. But some days are harder than other.

I hear one more door slam. I pay it no mind as I get back to work. There are still a lot of things I need to collect and get to Louisiana and DC. Besides, I still have a ton of work to do when I get home and I know that it won't wait much longer. Things just pile up when I'm not there. I love my Daddy, but his specialty isn't the books. No, that's all me.

With everything done that I can get done today, I decide to pack in in and go home. Just as I'm closing down my computer, I hear a knock at my door.

"Come in," I say.

Sid Matt opens the door, smiles at me and closes it behind him. He moves into the room and stops just behind the chair in front of my desk.

"What's up?" I ask him.

"I just heard from Brighten and Mason. They liked what you sent them and they're ready to move forward. They need us to come out so we are heading to Louisiana next week. Can you make the time?" I ask. "I know you have a lot to do at the Ranch but I think it would help Holly a lot if you were there."

I nod. "Of course," I say. "Just tell me when."

"I appreciate it, Sookie. We should be get through this in a week or two and let them deal with all the rest. But they need Holly there for a while," he says.

"Sid Matt, this is really close to my heart. You know I'll do anything to make this right by Holly and Jessica. It's just as important to me as it is to you." I say to him.

He nods and goes to leave. "Just one thing," he says, "Bill will be joining us."

"WHAT?" I scream!

***0***


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello Everyone!**

**Yes, it's finally here. A new chapter of Semper Fi. I know it's been a long wait and I thank everyone for hanging in there with me. I know... I keep thanking everyone but there is a lot to read out there and I'm grateful that you all take the time to follow along with me.**

**Okay, as always - thank you to T and my wonderful, awesome beta team for all your help. I appreciate all you do for me.**

**So without further ado, please join me in another episode of Semper Fi - Chapter Six - I'm Not trying to be a Hero**

***0***

Semper fi Chapter 6 I'm not trying to be a Hero

SPOV

February 15th, 2008 Painted Post, Montana

I look around the room before shutting off my laptop and putting it into its bag. I'd just sent an email off to Jason and the guys letting them know that I was leaving Montana tomorrow morning. The funny thing is I'd also sent another email to Eric. I really don't know why. I started sending him his own emails just after he sent me information about the JAGs and I haven't stopped.

Most of the emails haven't been long, well really long. Most of them have been maybe a line or two. Just enough to fill him in on what is going on and how I'm feeling about all of it. I know once he reads them, he's going to either tell me to stop writing or he's going to tell Jason that I'm crazy. Well crazier than I already think I am. That's the only explanation of why I'm writing letters to a person I've only really heard from once in a short email regarding someone who used to be in his squad. I mean who starts up a one sided writing campaign like this? Yeah, well, me obviously but what sane person does this? Yeah, none that I can think of.

For the twentieth time in the last three days, I've told myself that it's not healthy. I keep trying to convince myself that this whole thing is crazy. That he is going to be totally freaked by seeing so many emails coming from a woman that he doesn't even know. And yet, I can't seem to bring myself to stop. I know the moment I hear something from him or Jason, I'll have to stop. But for right now, it's… well, it's therapeutic in a way.

I don't pretend to understand any of this. But right now, it just, well, I feel safe talking to him; or righting to him as the case may be. It's not like I've got a lot of options here. I can't really talk to anyone about what I'm feeling. Okay, I could probably talk to Hadley. But she's got enough on her plate with trying to deal with Hunter and doing the whole parenting thing without Remy around. Daddy would listen, but he's got enough on his plate with the ranch and getting by without his two sons. Then there's Gran. Yeah Gran would listen but I just can't bring myself to put my burdens on her. She's been doing so many things for so long; the last thing she needs to be worrying about is me.

Then, of course, there's Holly. Yeah, our Holly has just about enough in her to keep herself together at this time. She doesn't need me and my worries on top of all she's going through. Even after we've all told her she has nothing to worry about, she's still doing enough worrying to last a life time. Her recent concern, or should I say, nightmare, is that somehow Hoyt's momma is going to get her hands on Jessica. Yeah, we keep telling her there is a better chance of a snowball fight starting up in hell, but she ain't listening to us. Well, I guess they don't call them irrational fears for nothing.

So, it really leaves me no one. Oh, I used to be able to talk to Tray. Hell, for the longest time, he was the only one I would talk to. But that all died when he threw us away. If I'm honest with myself, I don't think he meant to throw us away. Part of me believes his story and that most of the blame falls on Crystal. But it really doesn't matter. What's done is done and it can never be undone. It doesn't help with the whole forgiving him thing when he's been around every turn I have made for the last week. Hell, it's like he has me on a damn GPS. Every time I think I'm alone, he pops up. It's rather maddening.

Part of me has almost been looking forward to getting away, even though Bill Compton was joining us - for what reason I still had no idea but at least, I still wouldn't have to deal with looking over my shoulder every three seconds. I swear, for months he avoided me. Now, when I want him to stay away, he's like a bad penny. Hell, I don't believe I saw him this much when we were together. The only places I didn't seem to be bumping into him was my bedroom, because I think Daddy would kill him if he even attempted to climb the stairs, or at the office, where he had no reason to be at anyway.

Like I said, I was feeling a bit of relief from the fact that I would be heading to Louisiana for a week without having Tray to deal with. Well, I was until Daddy informed me that with the new horses coming in, he wouldn't be leaving. It isn't common for us to be getting stock this late in the winter season, but he'd made a deal with a friend of his that was falling on hard times from further up north. The hard times came in the form of half his barn roof coming down when the last snow storm brought us another three feet of the lovely white stuff. Unlike us, his barn didn't have melt-lines on it and he just couldn't keep up with getting the snow off before the weight did it in. His house was okay, thank goodness and no one was in that area of the barn when it let loose. They had heard the creaking and got the horses out to the paddock in time. He was going to be alright when the spring came but for now, he just couldn't keep more than a horse or two safely. So Daddy, being the man that he is, agreed to take the livestock in while his friend got himself back on his feet. Hell, I saw the agreement they signed just yesterday. Daddy wasn't going to charge him but half of our usual fee.

"It just doesn't seem right to kick a man when he's down, Sookie," Daddy had told me.

I sigh. Yeah, I know it's not right and all, but we would be taking on six more horses at half our usual take. I know it's the Christian thing to do. I probably would have done the same thing. Hell, I have done the same thing. But I'm being a little selfish, though I'd never tell Daddy. I would have much rather him tell his friend no and have him come with me. Yeah, that's the selfish little girl talking. Okay, I understand the circumstances are not what Daddy wanted any more than I did but it still didn't make me wish for my Daddy to be with me. Be that as it may, there is no point in making it hard on him.

All of this went through my mind in less than a day. Resolved that I was going to be the only form of support for Holly, I started to mentally prepare myself for what was to come. Like Daddy, I would do anything for anyone I called a friend and I'd probably walk on fire for someone I considered family. Holly fits into both categories. Just as I was at the point that I convinced myself I could do this on my own, Daddy dropped another bomb on me.

He informed me that he was sending Tray and Mitchell with me for help, support and anything else I needed while on our trip. When I argued that there was no way he could handle another six heads without his two ranch hands, he replied that he had agreed to employ three of his friend's ranch hands while the horses were here, so he could spare the boys to go with me. Mitchell, I was fine with; Tray, yeah not so much.

I tried to express to Daddy how thoroughly uncomfortable and inappropriate sending Tray with us was. I mean, the man slept with my brother's ex-girlfriend while dating me. How Jerry Springer was that, I ask you?

No matter how much I complained, Daddy wasn't going to be swayed. The bottom line was he was worried about me and Holly going back to Bon Temps with only Sid-Matt along to protect us. Funny, I noticed that he didn't even acknowledge that Bill was going to be there. I guess he assumed, as I did, that Bill wasn't going to be any part of the solution. I hadn't been able to get out of Sid-Matt why Bill was coming along. All he'd tell me is that it would look real good to have the two partners in the firm dealing with this and that Bill would be of some help. What that help would be, I hadn't a clue. But there was no use banging my head against that wall. Bill Compton was coming and that was final.

Now, I had to deal with Tray Dawson joining us as well. I hadn't spoken to him and I wasn't aware of his thoughts on the matter. In fact, I'd been able to ditch and bob away from him for the last twenty-four hours. But then again, it didn't help that I spent most of that time either at the office or in Daddy's office getting things all done before I left.

Looking around the room one more time, I take a deep breath as I close the zipper on my laptop case and put it with the rest of my things. Our flight is first thing in the morning so we are heading to the airport tonight so we can be there first thing for the flight. Normally, we would take a flight out of Havre and make the extra connecting flight, but Bill wasn't about to do that, so we all had to drive the extra three and a half hours to Billings just so we only made one stop over, not two. Nothing like splitting hairs, but I bet the layover would have cost us less time than it will for us all to drive down to the dang airport.

Huffing to no one in particular, I grab my bags and head down to wait for everyone to be ready. Luckily, Sid-Matt and Bill would be taking a car from town, which meant that Mitch, Tray, Holly and I were going to be in our own car. I'm still not sure that putting Tray and me in a car by ourselves is the wisest things to do. But hey, I wasn't driving, so I couldn't make the rules.

I walk into the massive living room to hear Holly trying to console Jess.

"Honey, I know you want to come. But me, Gran, Mr. Corbett and Sookie all think it's best if you stay here. Let me and the other grown-ups deal with this," she says kneeling in front of her daughter.

"I can help," Jessica bounces up and down on her toes. I used to do that as well. "I'm big, I can protect you."

"Now Jess," Gran comes around the corner. "Who's gonna help me make all the meals while everyone is gone? You know your momma usually helps when Sookie is working. I need you my sweet angel. Won't you stay and help me?"

Jess looks back and forth between Holly and Gran several times and then nods. She turns to look at her mother. "You come back?" She says just above a whisper.

Holly nods and I can see the tears in her eyes. They both lost Hoyt. But right now, the pain and loss Holly feels doesn't matter. To Jessica all she knows is that her daddy went away and never came back. That has got to be just beyond tragic for any a little girl. But for one that only knew her daddy through cards, letters and the intermittent Skype, his death has to be beyond devastating.

I can tell that Holly is trying to choke back the tears. I know I sure am. She clears her throat trying to regain her composure. I'd do anything at this moment to take away her pain. "I'll call you and we can talk on Sookie and Hadley's computer every night. I'll be home before you know it." She pulls her daughter in for another kiss.

As she hugs her daughter again, I turn to see the door opening and Mitchell and Tray walking in. Tray's about to say something, but when he takes in the scene in front of us, he closes his mouth. I know he doesn't know what to do. But when he looks at me, I nod and he just stands there waiting for someone to say something. Mitchell side steps the other man and comes to take my bags for me. I smile my thanks and then walk over to help Hadley with Jess. The poor little thing looks like she's going to start crying again any moment.

"Jess, I need to ask you a favor," I say to her softly.

She releases her grip on her mother just a little to lean back and look at me.

"I know you are going to be real busy helping Gran and all with the cooking, but I was hoping that you would help me out with Blue."

I pause for a moment. I'd taken her out several times to meet Blue and she fell in love with my horse from almost the first time she laid eyes on her.

"Wh…what do you need me to do?" She asks in a soft voice.

"Well," I say and hold out my arms to take her from Holly. She moves to me automatically. I pull her onto my lap and look into her eyes. "I need someone to give her apples and carrots while I'm away. She will be awful sore with me if she doesn't get her treats."

She nods at me. "I help," she turns to see Daddy has walked in the room. "Sookie needs help with Bwe. You help me?" Jessica smiles at my father.

He smiles his crooked smile back at her. "Of course I will."

She turns back to me and nods again with a little more enthusiasm.

"Okay then," I say to her. "Now you have real important jobs to do while your momma and I deal with all this grown-up stuff." I wrinkle my nose at her. She giggles. "But we will call you every night and make sure that Blue is behaving for you, okay?"

"Otay," she says and hugs me again. "You take care of Momma and I take care of Bwe."

I kiss her softly on her temple. "You got a deal, my beautiful little princess."

Daddy takes Jessica from my arms and soon we have said all our goodbyes and are heading toward the doors.

I look back to see Daddy giving Holly another hug and whispering something to her. She nods and kisses Jess again who is still in his arms. I get a strange twinge in my gut seeing them all together. But as quickly as it comes it fades.

Before we know it, we are heading through the gates of the ranch and heading toward the highway. Tray is driving, while Mitchell has taken shotgun. I'm thankful for that, really. Holly and I have situated ourselves in the back and settled in for the almost seven hour drive down to Billings. Tray says nothing but keeps looking in the rearview mirror at me. I almost want to ask Holly to trade seats with me. But I know that kind of behavior will just make me look childish. I do resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him every time he looks at me. Hey, I'm trying to be mature but you know some things you can't really outgrow.

The music is on but just low enough that if we wanted to talk, we could. I know Holly is still upset about leaving Jessica and Mitchell doesn't talk much to begin with. I'm hoping that Tray's lack of talking is due to him trying to keep his eyes on the road, but I could be wrong.

Deciding that the only thing I can do without bringing out my teenage side is reviewing the files I've brought with me. Pulling the first one out of my bag, I start looking it over and making sure that everything that needs to be done thus far has been.

Before I know it, I've read through the files about a dozen times and look at my watch to see that it's just about time that we should be heading into Billings. Since I've not heard anything from her in a while, I look over and notice that Holly's fallen asleep. Well with no talking, soft music and the motion of the car, who wouldn't fall asleep?

I put the files away and look up to see the signs for the airport. We'd made reservations at the hotel adjacent to the airport to make for an easier commute in the morning. Tray pulls into the parking lot as I try to arouse Holly from her slumber. After a few moments she awakens and follows me out of the car.

Tray comes around to the back of the SUV to help with the bags. Once we are all sorted, we head into the Hotel. As we make our way to the desk, I hear someone calling my name.

Turning, I see Sid-Matt and Bill coming out of the bar just off the lobby.

I smile at Sid but try to avoid making eye contact with Bill.

"No need to check in," Sid-Matt says. "We've already checked you all in."

Sid reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few little envelopes with keys. He hands one to each of us. "The girls will be staying in one room, the boys in the room just next to them." He smiles.

I nod. "Sid-Matt and I have the two rooms across the hall," Bill says. I look up and try to smile but all I can think of is, Oh Joy.

"We thought you all could get settled and then we can have dinner before heading to bed." Sid looks from one to the other of us.

"I….I don't think I'm hungry," Holly says softly. I know all of this is starting to wear on her.

"Honey, you need to eat," I touch her arm.

She shakes her head. "I…I just don't feel like it. I know I should eat, but waking in the car has given me a headache. I really just need to lie down."

I take her arm in mine. "Okay, honey. Let's get you up and to bed." I turn to look at the men. "I'll be down in about an hour," I say to them all.

I turn without waiting for any response but can tell that Mitchell and Tray are right behind me as we enter the elevator. As the doors begin to close, I can see a small smirk forming on Bill's lips. What the hell is he up to?

***0***

It didn't take long for me to get Holly and I settled. We were only staying the night and our flight was at six the next morning. So, I didn't even bother to unpack. Holly changed clothes and decided that she just needed to rest. I could understand that. I mean, we were right there with her in all this. But she still was dealing with a lot. Not to mention the loss of her husband. I don't think she's had really anytime alone to grieve.

"Holly, honey," I go to sit on the side of the bed. "I can stay with you if you want. I'm really not hungry either and I can always call for room service if I do."

She shakes her head. "No, you go. I'll just fall asleep."

"Okay honey but if you need me, just give me a ring on my cell. I'll eat and come right back." I move off the bed. She doesn't say a word as I grab my handbag and walk out the door.

I slowly close the door and turn to walk straight into a wall of well, man. Looking up I come face to face with the smiling face of Tray Dawson himself.

Sighing, I try to step around him but he's not having any of that.

"Tray, what do you want?" I ask. "The others are probably waiting downstairs right now."

"I know," he says and moves his arm up so I can see what's in his hand. "I wanted to give you this."

I look down to see two red roses.

"What is this for?" I ask him.

"Yesterday was Valentine's day. I wanted to give you something." He says and tries to hand me the flowers.

"Tray," I push his hand away. "I can't accept these."

His smile turns into a frown. "Why the hell not?" He says in a little harsher of a tone.

"Well, one because we aren't together, two you cheated on me and three your married." I cross my arms under my chest. Yes, under. I'm too well endowed to have them cross over my chest.

He looks a little, I don't know, embarrassed. "Look, we aren't together because I was stupid and made a mistake. The cheating thing, well, I know I've told you again and again…"

"Save it," I put my hand up. "I neither need nor want to hear about that night again. It happened and everything else that happened after that is water under the bridge. It still doesn't excuse you from giving flowers to someone other than your wife," I say with a little bit of a bite to my tone. I don't care that Crystal is not my favorite person. If the situation was reversed, I would be pissed all to hell. Tray may not have intended on cheating on me but what he's doing now is sort of cheating and I don't appreciate being put in the middle.

"Sookie," he says and tries to move closer to me. I step back. He stops and sighs. "Look, I know I married Crystal. But I thought I was doing the right thing. I…I don't love her and she doesn't love me," he rushes out before I can interrupt him. "I think she regrets everything just as much as I do. But like you said, what's done is done. I didn't even go home last night."

Yeah, like I wanted to hear that.

I know he can read my thoughts on my face because he puts his hands up in front of him. "No, that came out wrong. I…I stayed in the bunk house so I could be at the Ranch to finish up a few things before we left. But that's not the reason I didn't go home to Crystal. It was just the reason I gave her," he pauses and looks at me before he continues. "I wa…wanted to spend last night with you. But you were at the firm until real late and then when you got home, Gran said you were working on some stuff for Corbett. I went back to the bunk house and by the time I got the nerve to come back to talk to you, Gran said you'd gone to bed."

I shake my head at him. "So, what, I should be grateful that you spent all last night trying to get me alone," I shrug. "Tray. You. Are. Married," I say each word slowly. "You need to think about your wife. She was home all alone last night and you were what, waiting for a moment alone with me?"

"Oh, I don't think she was alone." He laughs.

I give him wide eyes. What do you say to that?

He laughs again. "Don't you think for one moment that Crystal is faithful to me. She was only faithful to one man and that was Jason. She doesn't care about me any more than I care about her."

I shake my head and wave my hand in front of me. "It doesn't matter. Two wrongs don't make a right. So she cheats," I shrug. "You either work it out or get a divorce. You showing up every time I turn around, waiting to talk to me or bringing me flowers doesn't make what you're doing right."

"Why shouldn't I be happy?" He asks me and I see in his eyes all the hurt, all the regret and all the pain he has felt for so long.

I can't bring myself to be mean. Yeah, so sue me, I still care about the guy.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"You can…You can be happy," I say softly. "Just… just not with me."

He tries to move closer to me but I move back another step but he's a hell of a lot taller than I am and I can't move fast enough for him to grasp my arm. "Sook, baby I'm so sorry. I, God, if I ask Crystal for a divorce, then… then will you please give us another chance?"

I suddenly remember that we are airing our dirty laundry in the hallway of an airport hotel. I go to turn but he puts his hand on my arm to stop me.

"Tray, let me go. I'm not doing this here. I got too much to think about," I try to say as softly as I can.

"Sook you didn't answer me," he growls.

I shake my head. "I already told you that I'm not doing this here," I say. "I'm not about to let all of the Billings' Hilton know our business."

"I don't care who hears us," he growls again. "I love you. I want you to forgive me. You know you love me Sookie. I can still see it in your eyes. Plus you need me. You know you do. You don't have to be so damn strong all the time. I can be there for you, like I was before. I can be your shoulder to cry on. I can be your strength. You need me just as much as I need you."

I shake my head. "No, I'm not doing this. Not again." I try to pull away.

"Damn it, Sookie. Why do you always need to be a Hero? You don't always have to do it alone."

I stop and turn back to him. "I'm not trying to be a Hero," I say with a little bite to my voice.

"Then just answer my question. Please will you forgive me?" His voice cracks.

I turn to look at the man that I thought I would spend forever with and felt, well, none of the anger that I thought I felt. It all seemed to dissolve with the look on his face. No he hadn't meant to hurt me. But hurt I was. No, he didn't intend on cheating on me. But he'd done it anyway. Sure, part of me still cared for him. But after what had happened with Crystal and what he was saying to me, could I ever trust him again? Even looking in that pained filled face, I knew the answer. No, I could never trust him with my heart again.

"Tray, if forgiveness is what you need, then you have it," he starts to walk closer but I put up my hand. "That doesn't mean anything. You are married to Crystal. We had our chance and it's over."

"Damn it Sookie, stop being so brave and stubborn. You know we were made for each other. No one is going to love you like I do."

God, I hope that's not true.

"The bottom line, Tray, is that I'm trying to do what's right. Go… go call your wife and wish her a Happy Valentine's Day. This," I wave my hand between us, "is never going to happen again. I'm sorry."

With that, I walk away from him and head to the elevator. I don't wait to see if he follows. Something inside me knows he won't. As much as Tray may love me, he would never betray his vows; even if he did make them to Crystal. It's just the kind of guy he is. Part of me wanted him to betray them. Part of me wanted to take him for just one night so they could both feel what I felt. But doing that, I'd be no better than Crystal. Besides, as much as Tray wanted to believe it, he wouldn't hurt Crystal intentionally. Even if I consider his words to me a betrayal, if given the chance, and being sober, he wouldn't act on them. No matter how much he said he loved me. I hated that she got his faithfulness. It's also one of the reasons I fell in love with him. It's also one of the reasons I could never take him back. Because when it was all said and done, he broke that trust we had. It doesn't matter if he meant it or not.

No, I'm not trying to be a Hero and I do need someone to speak to. But Tray Dawson wasn't going to be the one. No, not anymore.

***0***

Dinner was an easy affair. Or it was until Tray joined us. Even Bill was being gentile. But Tray wasn't speaking and I could tell by looking at his face, my words hurt him. I couldn't help it. They were the truth and no matter what either of us wanted, the truth was the truth.

I excused myself before dessert claiming fatigue from the drive.

"I'll walk you up," Mitchell says as he stands with me.

"You don't have to," I respond. "I think the guys want to go to the bar." I look from one to the other. I had heard mention of a night cap but I wasn't really paying attention. For some reason, I wanted to get to my laptop and email as quickly as possible.

"Not my scene," Mitchell says.

As we start to walk out, I hear a few goodnights but just smile at them all. Bill seems a little lost for words. Funny, that has never happened before. Tray just looks like someone popped his balloon. Well, I'm sorry to say, that I'm not going to be popped by anyone. At least not tonight.

Mitchell and I ride up in the elevator in complete silence. I didn't really mind. Mitchell is a bit of the strong, silent type. When the bell alerts us to our floor, we both get out and head down the hall.

"I heard what Tray said to you," I look over and he's looking down instead of looking at me.

"Wh… what?" I ask. I had thought we were alone.

"I came up to see what was keeping him when I heard your conversation. I left through the stairs," he points to the other end of the hall, "when I heard you get into the elevator."

"I… I don't know what to say to that." I shrug and stop right outside the doors.

"You were right in what you said to him. That is, if my opinion means anything."

I shrug. "Thanks, I guess."

"But he's right too, Sookie," he raises his eyes to meet mind. The gaze in his eyes stops me as I remember a similar gaze when he escorted me in from the barn after one of my last confrontations with Tray.

"He's right about what?" I ask him.

"That you don't need to always be the hero. You can lean on others when you need, hon. No one would think less of you for it," he says.

"I… I know that," I stutter.

He nods. "Just so you know," he turns to his room. "See ya in the morning."

He doesn't wait for a response as he lets himself into his room and the door closes behind him.

"Yeah, see ya in the morning," I say softly as I turn and open my own door.

I check in on Holly who seems to be fast asleep. I smile and pull the blanket up on her so that she doesn't get cold. Then I go into the bathroom to change.

Once out, I look to the bed and don't seem to feel the pull of the sheets or the pillow. Instead of getting in and trying to toss and turn myself into what I know will be a fitful sleep, I grab my laptop bag and head out into the little sitting area adjacent to our beds. It isn't a real suite but they call it one. Evidently, that is all this hotel has. Well, I didn't make the reservations so why should I care? Yeah, I don't.

I sit cross-legged on the couch and wait until my laptop boots up. Once it does, I go through the motions of connecting to the hotel free WiFi and open my email.

I scan them quickly and see there has been no response from the guys. I had hoped that there would have been some word, but we still didn't know where they had gone or what they were doing. Instead of closing it up and heading to bed, I open a new email and sigh. Yeah, I may be crazy but until I was told otherwise, I'd live in my crazy little world. I like it there. Everyone knows me.

Taking another deep breath, I start typing.

_Dear Eric…_


	8. Chapter 7

A/N No matter how hard you try to make the Holiday Season easy, you just can't... at least I can't.

But the December is over and January is in full swing. So there are no more excuses for not writing.

Here is the next chapter of Semper Fi. I am almost done with the next chapter of Where Were You and depending on the demand, I may post another WWY before the next AED. But you will have to tell me when the time comes.

As always - I thank my awesome beta team and T! Your encouragement is what keeps me going.

As always, thank you to all my readers and followers. You make me want to be a better writer.

So without further ado - please let me know what you think of the next installment of

Semper Fi

***0***

SF - Chapter 007Semper Fi - Chapter 7 - Brother on my Left, Brother on my Right

EPOV

February 17th, 2008 Afghanistan

The last two weeks have been sheer hell. You'd think that after the attack, the powers that be would have let us go back to the barracks. Nope, that sure as hell not the way our cards were falling, that's for sure.

I hit the ground hard from the flash back. I can't say that I remember actually hitting the ground. But when I came to a few minutes later, Stackhouse and Savoy were at my side. I'd learned that they pulled me back when I went down. I think I owe both of these men my life. Because what I saw of the surrounding area, I would not have made it out of that courtyard without them.

Mott didn't make it. I don't like talking ill of another marine, but fuck if he wasn't the stupidest son-of-a-bitch around. Everything we said during the interaction was taped and the higher ups all confirmed that his death and the injuries of two of his men and one of mine were his own fault. He should have listened to me and waited. Fuck, if I had my way, we would have all been pulled out of there the moment we thought something was going down.

Mott's body was airlifted out along with his second, Cummings. Lenier also took one to the chest and was being shipped to Germany for surgery. If he made it, he wasn't coming back. Hell, if the man had use of his right side again, it will be a fucking miracle. From what I heard at debriefing, Cummings would probably never walk again. It is a fucking shame. I didn't know either man well. I had gotten to know Lenier better because he was mine, but it didn't matter. When one of us gets it, we all take pause.

Shit, we all know that we are taking our lives and those of our brothers in our hands when we walk into a mission. But never does it feel more real than when you see someone go down.

I bite the inside of my cheek for the millionth time to not say something against Mott. But what the fuck could that man have been thinking? It was like he wanted to put himself and his men in harm's way. Either that or he was bucking to get some kind of big capture. Hell, I would be happy as a pig in slop if my name was never announced in conjunction with any mission I'd been on. Hell the first thing you learn in the Corps is " Unit, Corps, God, and Country." Nothing is ever done for your own gain. Guess Mott was absent that day.

Like I said, you would have thought they would have sent both our units back to regroup. In their infinite wisdom, Huerta put me in charge of both units and sent us back into the area to track down any other insurgents. We'd been combing the hills on the outskirts of town for the past week. We'd found evidence of some men hiding in a few of the caves but they must have moved once vans were lit up.

I have to hand it to my men. When the orders came down, no one said a fucking thing. They all just picked up and were ready to deploy. Even Mott's men were ready and they didn't know me from a fucking ant. Then again, after Mott charged them into the line of fire, maybe they were happy to have someone else leading them. Again, don't know shit about Mott but first impressions stand. That man had no business leading anyone. Why the fuck Huerta was so convinced of his abilities, I'll never fucking know.

Convinced that there was nothing else for us to find, we got our release to head back to base last night. You never think that a cot in a bunker will be a welcome sight. That is, until you spend weeks sleeping up against walls or with your back against another Marine just for protection. Yeah, our little hole in the wall looks like the fucking Ritz Carlton right now.

Debriefing took longer than I thought it would. I mean, we had given reports to brass daily. So why in hell's name I had to sit and hash it all out again would be anyone's guess. Those decisions are well above my pay grade.

After I was dismissed and a longer than necessary shower, I made it back to the barracks just in time to see all my unit standing around Stackhouse's laptop.

"Hon, you sure you are alright?" I hear him ask the person on the screen.

"Yeah, hey, you know me. I'm fine. I'm just really glad you are all safe, ya know?" I hear a woman say. No, not a woman. She sounds like a fucking angel. Without a doubt, I know this must be Sookie.

"You got Mitch with you there, though, right?" Remy asks. "He'll make sure you and Holly are okay. You just do what you need to do. But if it gets too much…"

"Hey, I'm a sister of a Marine, I'm tougher than that!" She interrupts him.

I come up behind them and look over their shoulder. I swear the air has left the room when I take in the vision in front of me. She may have sounded like an Angel, but she looks like a Goddess.

"Um, hey." She says softly.

Stackhouse looks over his shoulder and gives me a smirk. "Hey Sarge, meet my sister," he says and turns back to the screen. "Sook, meet Staff Sargent Northman."

I can't seem to find words. I'd never been tongue tied around women before. Usually they are eating right out of my hand. Hell, my smile usually does all I need to get whatever I want where the fairer sex is concerned.

She looks down and I can see a tint of red flushing her cheeks. "Sargent, it…it's nice to..uh, yeah," she sighs, "guys, I gotta go. We are due in court in an hour and I have to get ready."

What, no this angel can't leave my sight. I need to see her, hear her and have her tell me everything about herself and what is going on. Wait, she's going to court? Have they gotten a date already? Have we really been gone that long?

"Court?" Is all I can ask.

"Yeah…ah, Jason will fill you in. I go..gotta go. I'll let you all know what happens. I love you. Stay safe and as soon as I get home, I'll be sending a package."

They all say their goodbyes but all I can do is look at her. I watch her as she looks anywhere but at the camera on her computer. I wish I had some power to make her look at me again. Just one look, that's all I need. Just before I'm ready to give up, she looks into the camera and her eyes meet mine. Or at least I want to believe they are meeting mine. I see the light in her eyes but there's something else. I don't know, fear, maybe. I smile and she smiles back.

"I'll talk to you soon," I say softly to her. My angel nods and then the screen goes black.

I stand there for what feels like a month looking at the screen. How could any one person be so perfect? Hell, I already know that she's compassionate, strong and funny. Now let's add that she has a face and voice of an angel and what I could see in her suit, the body of a Goddess. How more perfect can one woman be.

"If we knew we would get her on the first shot, we would have waited for you, Sarge," Stackhouse says taking me out of my daze.

After we got hit in the ambush, Stackhouse and my relationship had changed. He spent hours and hours talking about his home, his family and of course, his sister. He told me all about her growing up and how strong and beautiful she was. There was nothing about her that her brother didn't love. He thought the sun rose and set in her and after hearing all the stories, I had to agree.

I felt all his love and pain as he told me about his mother passing and then reliving his grandfather's death. He told me about how Sookie changed her goals so she could stay home and still find a career in law. He told me about how the skank Crystal hurt her and the idiot who cheated on her. He told me about Hadley and Hunter. How she helps out with both of them and keeps the whole family together. He told me how she enlisted herself as their cheerleader and how she keeps in touch with everyone's families and loved ones. Then she told me about their family's past and how the Comptons fit into their world. I swear, I know of every skinned knee, practical joke, smile, tear and laugh Sookie Stackhouse has ever had. If you can fall in love with an image of a woman, I think I had. But now seeing her, hearing her and actually seeing what Stackhouse told me that was evident the moment you lay eyes on his sister, I knew. My life would not be complete unless Sookie Stackhouse is a part of it. I don't even care how, as long as a part of her belongs to me.

I turn to look at him and I see a sad smile on his face. Instantly, I fear the worst. "What's going on?" I ask him.

He sighs. "She's in Shreveport. They have already met with the DA and the JAG officers. The JAG issues are proving to be a little easier since Military courts are more, well ya know," he shrugs. "But Shreveport isn't that far from Bon Temps and the judge is leaning toward their own, ya know? The DA thinks they might have to look into moving the whole thing down to New Orleans to get a judge to listen to reason."

Reason, what the fuck is he talking about?

"You can't tell me that they actually think that Fortenberry's mother had a right to do what she did?" I ask him and then turn to Du Rone. "Have you been in touch with your wife? What she got to say?"

He shakes his head. "I tried calling her before we got in touch with Sookie. She ain't at home or at her Momma's house. I was going to try my parents later. I just don't understand it. I talked to Tara dozens of times and she never said a thing about what was going on with Holly. Hell she told me she had her over for dinner at least once a week. She fucking told me that they were in some damn book club!" He yells clearly upset to realize that his wife was lying to him.

I shake my own head and turn back to Stackhouse. "What else is going on?" I ask him.

"Your friends have been making some progress. They've already proven that Hoyt's mother has no say in anything to do with his body, his pension or death benefits. He wrote all that up before he left and since nothing had been changed and there was no divorce decree, she has no leg to stand on. It is all a question if she's going to have to stand trial in military court. But since she ain't military, they may need to hand the legal stuff over to the DA. I guess Sookie has been working round the clock trying to get anyone to talk to her from that town."

The thought of Sookie walking around that town alone almost makes me sick. As if he can tell what I'm thinking, he holds up a hand. "I thought the same thing. But Daddy sent Mitchell and Tray along to keep her and Holly safe."

The thought of that scum Dawson anywhere near Sookie makes me see red.

"Yeah, we ain't too happy with Dawson being there either, Sarge," Savoy says. "But Mitchell is a good man and he will make sure she's safe."

I nod not wanting to speak. Suddenly I feel a wave of jealousy roll over me. I'd never been jealous of anyone in my life. Now, I would do anything to be there with Sookie. The thought of any man, I don't care how good they are, being there to protect her, makes me angry.

"I'm gonna see if I can get Hadley on the line. It's real early there, but Sookie said she should be getting home about now," Savoy moves over to take the computer.

I nod and head over to my locker and pull out my own computer. I may not have been able to get my act together to say anything to her, but I could write her an email. Shit, I feel like I'm fifteen again. Even then, I had no problem talking to the ladies. But then again, I don't think I've ever seen anyone that is as beautiful as Ms. Stackhouse.

I boot up my computer and login to my email. My eyes almost pop out of my head when I see all the emails flooding my inbox. On closer examination, I see that they are all from the same person. Scrolling down to the bottom, I see that the first is from the day that we deployed. Opening that one first, I read how grateful she is for my help and that she will keep me abreast of the situation.

I keep reading. A few are just a few lines, letting me know that she's thinking of me and they guys. Others are like little messages you would leave for someone about an issue. She lets me know when she speaks to someone about the case and what is going on.

Other emails are a little personal and longer than the others. About half way through the list, there is one such as this.

_Dear Sargent._

_I looked at my sent items today and saw that I've sent you a little over thirty emails in the past ten days. God, what you must think of this crazy girl that keeps bothering you. I tell myself about a dozen times a day that I shouldn't be bothering you with all of this. Then, I find myself writing to you again. This can't be healthy and I'll understand if you just delete all these messages without reading them. I mean what kind of crazy lady must I be to write you letters and not even know who you are? Yeah, crazy._

_Today has been a little harder than usual. We haven't heard from any of you in almost two weeks. Hadley tries to be strong, but I can hear her crying in her room at night. It kills me that she misses Remy so much. I know I miss Jason but it isn't the same. I couldn't help but think of you too. You must be so strong and brave to be leading all these men. I can't imagine what it's like for you to be there and I know I shouldn't, but I worry. I worry about all of you and it makes my heart ache._

_I find myself sometimes crying in the barn while I tell everyone I'm grooming my horse. I need to be strong for everyone but sometimes, I would love to just be able to be wrapped in someone's arms and just let go for five minutes. Sadly, the only one I have to do that is my horse, Blue and he doesn't snuggle too well. _

_So I guess, I'll just have to pour it out to a stranger. Part of me hopes that you never read any of these. The idea that I'm laying my dirty laundry out like this is almost embarrassing. Almost because part of me feels lighter after I hit send. Yeah, I did say I was crazy, didn't I._

_Anyway, be safe and hope we hear from you all soon._

_Best,_

_Sookie._

I read through the message several times. God, how lonely my Sookie must be. Wait, my Sookie? I smile at myself. Yeah, she is my Sookie. I can't explain it. But in my mind and heart, part of her will be mine. Now to see what part she's willing to give.

I read through a few as she tells me about the strides they are making in the case. The pain of seeing Jessica shake when they tell her that they have to go back to deal with it all. I feel her pain as I can tell she's crying for the little girl and what she's lost.

I read about how that idiot Compton is making her life at work miserable along with his sidekick. I wonder if I know anyone that can go and rough him up a little. Then I almost see red again when she tells me that Tray won't leave her alone. Okay, maybe I'll need to do something about him. I mean, Stackhouse will be on my side. He won't want anyone messing with her either. Maybe when they get back to the ranch, we can get someone to take care of him for us.

I keep reading until there are only two emails left. One was dated February 15th and the last is dated today.

I open the earliest one first.

_Dear Eric,_

_I know that somewhere in here, I stopped addressing you as Sarge and started using your name. I'll say it again, I hope you don't mind. But part of me also wishes you never read these to begin with, so maybe it doesn't matter._

_We made it to Billings tonight and our flight to Louisiana is early tomorrow morning. I just got back from dinner and Holly is fast asleep in the other room. I should be sleeping too, but my mind is just reeling._

_I won't go into too many details, but Tray cornered me in the hallway before dinner tonight. I know I'd told you I had successfully dodged him for the past week or so but imagine my surprise when he tried to corner me in the hallway of the hotel of all places?_

_I have to ask you this because, well who else am I going to ask. Why do men think that as long as one partner is cheating, it's okay if they do too? I mean, not that I believe that Tray would ever break his vows to Crystal, but still. I know what you are thinking, he's cheated on me. But yeah, I was just his girlfriend. He didn't stand in front of the preacher, our families and God and promise to love, honor and cherish me. He did, however, do that with Crystal. I know cause I was there. Yeah, a story for another time. But it doesn't take away from the fact that he tried to convince me of his feelings for me while still married to Crystal. Okay maybe it's because yesterday was Valentine's day and maybe he doesn't have a good marriage. But that doesn't change a thing. _

_He told me that I will never find anyone who will love me as much as he does. God, Eric I hope he isn't right. I hope there is someone out there that will look at me and see the moon and the stars. I hope there is someone out there that will love all of me and never think for one second about cheating on me. I hope that I am worth more than a cheating bastard who drinks too much and sleeps with another woman. I really do. Because if I'm not, then what is out there for me? _

_I remember how much my Daddy loved my Momma. God, it was so sweet you swore you would get cavities if you stood too close. When Daddy looked at Momma, you knew that he saw everything he ever needed in her eyes. It's the same way Gramps used to look at Gran. _

_I know I'm greedy and maybe that kind of love is rare, but that's what I want. _

_The screen is starting to get blurry so maybe I should get to sleep. _

_I will let you know what happens when we get to Bon Temps. Stay safe and take care of yourself and the guys._

_-Sookie._

That asshole! Who the fuck does he think he is cornering her like that. I swear when I get back to the states, I don't give a fuck what Sookie thinks, I'm going to walk right up to that idiot and lay him out. He has got to be fucking kidding me. He didn't hurt her enough when he cheated on her. Now he wants to what, make her the other woman? Who does he think he is? I can't fucking wait to get my hands on him.

I open the last email and it's a lot shorter than the last. Basically it's telling me what Stackhouse already did. There is no mention of Dawson, Compton or any others. It's quick and I'm sure she wrote it just before going to bed.

I reread all her messages again and listen to her tone. Now that I've heard her voice, I can hear her speaking the words to me and I swear, church bells don't sound as sweet.

I need to be in contact with this angel. I can't not hear her voice in my head any more. I need to have her close. Part of me doesn't care how close or how she is, but she needs to be in my life.

Closing my eyes for a moment so I can get a vision of her in my head, I open a new message and address it to my angel.

_Dearest Sookie,_


	9. Chapter 8

Semper Fi Chapter 8 - Dogs to Lose When War is Raged

SPOV

February 17th, 2008 Shreveport Louisiana

As the computer goes black I don't know what to with myself. That…THAT was Sargent Eric Northman, HOLY SHIT!

I pull my hair back, holding it into a ponytail as I walk around my hotel room. I can't fucking believe that I've been sending emails to him. He's a fucking GOD. How am I going to face the guys after this? He's probably laughing right now at the crazy girl from the horse farm who wrote him, OH MY GOD I must have written him over thirty emails by now. A guy like that, what the hell was I thinking writing emails to a guy I've never met, never even seen and God who is so far out of my league I don't even play the same game as him.

A knock on my door pulls me out of my little meltdown. Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths to pull myself together enough to go answer it.

"Sookie," I hear from the other side. "We need to get going."

I take another deep breath. Yeah, I've got work to do. Can't be standing here having a heart attack about a guy who will probably order my brother to have me lose his email address.

"Sook," I hear a knock louder.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I say as I grab my bag and briefcase. "Just…Just give me one more minute."

"Sookie, we need to be in court in less than an hour. If this is too much for you…"

"Jesus," I say as I pull open the door. "I need to get my things, Bill Compton. Don't be hassling me, okay. We've waited for you plenty in the last few days." I walk past him, pulling my door closed behind me and head to the elevator.

"Yes, but the difference is I was working on cases that are actually bringing money into the firm. You on the other hand," he hits the down button to call the elevator, "what were you doing?"

I sigh. "I got a Skype from my brother if you must know. I hadn't heard from him in weeks and I wanted to make sure he was okay."

He huffs. "Is that what kept you? Well look at our tax dollars at work. How much is it costing the government to allow those men over there to have internet access and ability to call home whenever they like?"

The elevator dings and we wait as a nice older couple gets out before we get in. "I'm certain I don't know. But whatever the cost, I'd pay it out of my own pocket to be able to see my brother and Remy and know for my own peace of mind that they are alright."

"Oh please, Sookie. How much time do you spend on emailing, writing and oh getting in touch with all of these families over here? I mean isn't that why we are here? Because you befriended this girl and now we are clear across the country away from our real work so that you can look good for your brother?"

I stop short at that. "Do you really think that I do all of this so I look good to my brother?"

"Not that I understand why you would? What do you gain from doing all this, Sookie?"

I shake my head. "I don't understand what you're talking about? I don't get anything out of this other than the fact that I'm doing something nice for a bunch of men that are putting their lives on the line every single day for our freedom."

He laughs at that. "Our freedom? Oh, you sure have bought into all this propaganda, haven't you? Our freedom; what does Afghanistan have to do with our freedom? What does the Middle East have to do with Montana? What does the Taliban have to do with your Daddy's ranch? You are stupid and naive to think that what we are doing over there is doing any good. You wait and see, Sookie. Not one thing is going to change from us being over there."

I hit the stop button on the elevator.

"What are you doing?" He growls at me.

"What are you doing here, Bill?" I ask him.

"I'm here to represent the firm." He says to me.

I shake my head. "Sid Matt is here. What could you possibly be gaining from being here? What was it your father wanted you to do?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," he moves to start the elevator again and I stand in the way. "Sookie, move!" He yells.

"Not until you tell me why you're here. You don't believe in the war, you don't support our troops and you most certainly don't believe in what we are doing to help this woman and her little girl. So I ask you again, what are you doing here?"

He moves real close to me but I don't move, not even an inch.

"You listen here, little girl. I don't answer to you. You are a damn paralegal. You work for me." He says just above a whisper.

"No, I report to Sid Matt. I've always reported to Sid Matt and I will always report to Sid Matt until which time he either lets me go or he retires. Then, I'll decide if Compton & Associates is worth my time. But until then, you have nothing over me. Now are you going to tell me why you're here or should I suggest to Sid Matt that you should go home. Because like you said, you have real work for the firm to do."

He smirks at me. "You go ahead and try it. My father wants me here and here is where I'm going to stay until this mockery of a situation is over."

"Mockery…You don't even agree in what we are doing." I say to him.

He laughs. "What does that have to do with anything? Now if you don't mind," he pushes me aside slightly and starts the elevator up again, "we are due in court and I don't know about you, but I don't want to give this judge any further reason to hate us."

"I'm warning you William Compton, if you are here to ruin our chances then I will find a way to get you on the next plane home." I move away from him.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try," he says as the doors open. He moves aside and motions with his arm. "After you, Ms. Stackhouse."

I give him one more look before I walk out the door and head over to our team. I need to get Sid Matt alone and talk to him. I've got a feeling that our bad luck in Bon Temps may not all be because of town loyalty. No, I think there may be a snake in the grass and his name is Bill Compton.

***0***

EPOV

I finish writing my email to Sookie and look at a few things on line. There isn't much I usually bother with, but Sookie had mentioned in one of her emails that there is a Facebook group she's created for the unit and their families. So I log on and do a search for it. I "Like" the page and start looking at the posts, pictures and other things that are on the group.

Everyone in the unit has posted something and so have their families. I decide to post a few words and to send my thanks to everyone back home that are thinking of us. I really don't have any family to send anything too but I can't help but think that I could send a poke to Sookie or something like that. How childish of me, I know. I mean what would she think of that? Deciding I don't care, I send her a poke.

I look around for a few more minutes seeing the family postings and noticing several of them are with Sookie and a few of the family members. Then I remember that Sookie has organized a get together for the families every year since the guys were shipped out. In fact, I believe that this year's event will be held in New York City. Why, I've no idea. I think I'll have to talk to Stackhouse about it. I could give Sookie some ideas of places for everyone to go. It is my home town, after all. I wonder why there is no mention about it yet on the group. But it may be too early.

Deciding that I've logged enough time on social media, I power down and head over to see what my men are doing. I hear Savoy laughing so maybe they are on with his boy. I know that he misses his son. He does nothing but talk about him and how proud he is. If I had a child, I don't know how I could be away from him this long. It's hard enough thinking of my sister and how fast she is growing. But that is a whole different story and it isn't like she's waiting for me to get home. No, I don't think my parents would allow that.

"Yeah, I know." I hear Savoy say.

"Oh, Sarge, come on over here and meet the family," he says. I smile and nod as I move around the table to again stand behind Stackhouse and Savoy. On the screen I see a blond woman that looks just a little older than Sookie, a young boy and an older man.

"Well, this must be the Staff Sargent that we've heard so much about," the older man says. "Corbett Stackhouse son, damn good to see you walking around. I gotta thank you for taking such good care of my boys. Jason here says that if it wasn't for your quick thinking and pullling back your unit, they all could have been in a world of hurt."

I nod at him. "Mr. Stackhouse, it is very good to meet you, sir. But I think the guys have it backwards. If it wasn't for them, I'd have been in a world of hurt."

"Don't listen to him, Daddy. Sarge is a born leader. He kept his head and was barking orders like nobody's business. A lot more men could be on their backs if it wasn't for him." Stackhouse turns to look at me. I give him a nod and he turns back to his father.

"Well, it looks like you are all good for one another. You keep doing what you're doing and get home safe to us. Sargent Northman, when you all finally get home, there is a beer and a rocking chair on our front porch with your name on it. That way I can thank you properly for taking care of these here boys for me. Besides, it will give Sookie and Gran a reason to cook for you all."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Daddy. Sookie has already sent Sarge here her famous Cookies. Alcide's been sniffing them out since we got back. Good thing she warned him to hide them." Stackhouse starts to laugh.

"How'd you know she told me to hide them?" I look at the laughing man.

"You told me one night. You said we'd been gone so long you hoped you remembered where you put them."

I laugh thinking of the conversation. We'd been up for forty-eight hours straight. It's hard to remember things after that long.

"So you all heard from Sookie? How's she doing? She tells me she's okay but I sure as hell know better. This is tearing at her soul something fierce, boys. You should have seen her. Never seen her so driven. She's not going to stop until she wins. You all think you're dogs at war, you've never seen my little girl when she gets a thought in that head of hers." He shakes his head.

"Daddy," the woman says. "Sookie is only doing what she thinks is right."

"I know that Hadley girl. I wouldn't have it any other way. I just worry about her."

"Yeah, speaking of worrying about her. Why the hell did you send Tray? God Daddy, Dawson is the last person she wants near her." Savoy says.

"I know that son," he nods. "But I couldn't go and I didn't want to just send Mitch. He's a good man, and I thought about sending one of the others, but no matter what Tray Dawson has done, he'd never let harm come to your sister."

"Daddy, he harmed her. God, I wanted to fly home the next day when she told me what happened. That man is the stupidest fucker that ever landed on this earth." Stackhouse growls.

"Jason Paul Stackhouse, Hadley is right here and Jess is just in the kitchen. You keep a civil tongue in your mouth." Corbett shouts at his son.

"Yes, Sir," Stackhouse says, "but it was still wrong."

"He will protect her, boys. I know what he did and I know what hurt he's caused. But the sad truth of the matter is that he loves your sister. Just because he made a stupid mistake doesn't change that. He knows it, Crystal knows it and I think Sookie even knows it. As God as my witness, I know that he would stand in front of a bullet for her, Crystal and his family be damned."

"With all due respect, Sir," I say, "do you think that was fair to Sookie, though. I mean clearly he hurt her something awful. I'm sure it still stings. If you say he still loves her, don't you think he may to cause her more pain?" I ask.

Both Savoy and Stackhouse turn to look at me while Corbett gives me the once over. I know that look. My father has given it to me more than once. In fact it's always when he's trying to figure me out in some way.

"What do you know, son?" He asks me. Clearly Corbett Stackhouse isn't one to beat around the bush.

"I really don't think it's my place to say. I do believe I've been told it in confidence. But I don't think Tray Dawson is as harmless as you think he is."

"Look son," Corbett moves closer to the screen. "I know my girl has been writing to you," he puts his hand up. "She doesn't know I know but the fact is still the fact. So far, from what the boys have told me you are a decent and brave man. The fact that you are there gives you credit in my book. But that doesn't change the fact that we are talking about my little girl. Now, if Tray Dawson has done something to harm my little girl I want to know about it."

"Sir, he hasn't done anything to harm her," I say. "In fact, I think she handled the situation very well. Though, I would have preferred if her way included a right hook to his jaw, but still, she's fine. I just think that Dawson's intentions toward you daughter are not as simple or as harmless as you would think."

He nods. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. But is what you're telling me enough for me to call him home? I don't want to leave her there with a bunch of rednecks and no backup. Sid Matt is a good man, but he ain't no hero. Bill Compton will slink under a rock rather than help a little old woman across the street. That leaves Mitch and I don't want him going it alone."

"I talked to JB, Daddy. He can't get in touch with his wife. He's no idea what's going on. She told him that she was having Holly and the baby over once a week and that they were all getting along real well. He's tried calling her parents and still no answer. His parents said they haven't seen her. They did say that it's not the same in Bon Temps and they are moving back over by his aunt's house over in Mississippi. They said they were under the impression that Holly and Jessica had moved away. At least, that is what Tara had said."

"It makes no sense but still what do you boys want me to do? I can't be there and your sister isn't going to be there alone." Corbett says.

"Well, I guess there is nothing we can do," Stackhouse looks at me.

"Sir, the JAG officers with them are friends of mine. I'll ask them to keep an eye on her as well. I have to admit, I don't like putting Sookie in the position she's in, but maybe Dawson got the message and will leave her be." I say to him.

"You think if something happens, she'll tell you?" Corbett raises an eyebrow at me.

I nod. "I do Sir."

"So you intend on continuing your conversations with her?" He asks.

I nod again. "I do Sir, if that is alright with you and her brothers?"

"Well, I see nothing wrong with it. What about you boys?" Corbett says.

"Shit, Sarge, it's nice of you to ask and all. But you have to get to know Sookie a little better. If she wanted to talk to you and we told you or her no, she'd beat the ever living tar out of us." Savoy says.

"And I'd have the bucket of feathers." I turn to see the woman that I know is Savoy's wife with her hand on her hip and her own eyebrow raised.

"Well, Jason," Corbett says. "You've been awful quiet."

Stackhouse turns to me. "I put my life in your hands when we walked into that courtyard and you didn't let me down. But what I'm putting in your hands now means more to me than my own life. Just…just be honest and true to her. If you want to be friends and talk, cool. If you are looking…" he turns back to his father and then to me. "She's a real good girl, Sarge. She deserves to be happy. I saw how she looked at you when we talked to her before. Just don't…Just don't hurt her."

I nod to him. "You have my word."

"Well, that's settled then. Sargent Northman,"

"Eric," I say to him. "Please, call me Eric."

"Eric then," he nods. "Call me Corbett or Dad, all the boys do. As I was saying, Eric if anything happens that you think we should know about, you tell us."

"I won't betray Sookie's confidence but I'll let you know if you need to step in." I say to him.

"Well, I can't fault you for that, now can I. Just make sure that if my girl needs us, we know about it." He says.

"I will, Sir." I say.

"Good, okay, well, I need to get Jessica and make sure she doesn't give Blue more than one sweet. I swear your sister sure knows how to put thoughts in her head. You would think the horse will go into shock unless she gets five carrots a day. You stay safe boys. Take care of one another and come home soon. We sure miss you."

We say goodbye and after we are disconnected, Stackhouse looks at me. "You're sure? I saw the look she gave you, man."

I nod. "Oh, I'm sure. Now the question is, will she be sure about me?"

Savoy laughs. "Oh you don't have to worry about that. If I know Sookie, she was probably freaking out on how good looking you are."

I look at him and he laughs. "What, I'm man enough to admit it. You are a hot guy. She's probably flitting around freaking out that she's been emailing you."

I looked confused.

"Hadley told me. Sookie thinks she's slick and can do things without anyone knowing. She forgets whose she dealing with. Hadley has known for some time that Sookie's been sending you notes. She hoped that you wouldn't mind. They seem to help her."

I shake my head. "No, no I don't mind at all."

I smile and walk away in search for my stash of cookies. For some reason they make me feel closer to my girl.

***0***

SPOV

Walking through the door of my hotel room, I kick off my shoes and walk across to my bed in stocking feet trying hard not to think about what could be in the carpet. Only knowing that the person who invented stiletto heels must have been a man.

Sitting down, I take one of my feet in my hands and rub out the knot in my arch. The day has been brutal. The judge has been trying to stop us at every turn. I couldn't believe the crazy he was buying from Mrs. Fortenberry's lawyer. It is clear that there is something going on and the Judge is in on it. The DA is convinced of it too. That is why he motioned to have the whole thing moved down to New Orleans. When everyone, including William put up a stink, our DA got nasty and called the Governor's office. You would have thought the Judge was going to pass out, he turned so red.

But Governor Marcus Trudeaux decided that the best place to have this little pow-wow was where he could keep an eye on us. He suggested (dare I say ordered) the whole lot of us be present and accounted for in front of his office in two days time.

To say the Judge was pissed about the DA going over his head. Mrs. Fortenberry was cursing everyone and everything to kingdom come and her attorney just stood there and glared and me and Holly. I'd never seen someone glare like that before. Oh sure Crystal always liked giving me the hairy eyeball, but that was different. I knew what was swimming around in Crystal Dawson's head. Okay, maybe I didn't always, but I did most of the time and most of it was just harmless stuff.

No this woman was scary.

So we all had to pick up and start all over again in Baton Rouge in two days' time. I hope to God and anyone else that is listening, including Hoyt, that this whole damn mess is over soon and we can get back home. There is something about this town that just doesn't sit right with me. Bon Temps is something out of one of those late night twilight type shows. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some really weird stuff that happens there. I know, I'm tired and my imagination is working overtime. I just can't help it, the place is just plain old strange.

I start to work on my other foot as I open my email. I haven't been on the Facebook group in about a week and I'm sure that those we haven't spoken with are wondering what's going on. Not to mention that I want to see if I can find out if anyone's heard from Tara. No one has seen her around here and I'm just a little worried. Okay, maybe I wouldn't be so worried if I didn't know that an old woman kept her daughter-in-law and granddaughter locked in a basement and the whole town seemed to know about it and did nothing to stop her. Who knows what's happened to Tara.

I pull up my email and right here like it has a neon sign over it is an email from Eric Northman. I sigh. Well, this day has been one for the books. Let's add a kiss off note to it to round it off.

I open it and take a deep breath. Letting it out in a sigh I get ready for the words.

_Dearest Sookie,_

_I think I've read all your emails at least three times. They are so much sweeter to read now that I've heard your voice, because I can imagine you speaking to me._

_First off, I want to let you know that I'm completely okay with you calling me Eric, you writing to me and giving me the honor of being your sounding board when you need to vent. I don't mind in the least and I look forward to every word you send to me. It doesn't matter to me if you're telling me about the weather, a ride on Blue or about something that has made you sad, mad, glad or anxious. I want to hear all your words, my dear Sookie and I can't wait for more to come._

_I know you said you are crazy for writing to me. Well if you're crazy for writing then I'm crazy for wanting you too. I will admit something to you. I carried your first letter with me into our first mission after it arrived. I read it every chance I got. It was a short letter but I memorized every word. Then I memorized how you write certain letters. Do you know that your words slant a little more to the left when you are trying to be funny? Do you know that when you write your brother's name, its letters are tall and straight? Almost like the soldier he is? _

_You are right about another thing, Sookie. These men are good men and I'm honored and proud to be serving with them. I will make you a promise, my sweet girl. A promise I've never made to another person since I've been in the corps. I promise you that I'll do everything and anything in my power to make sure that your brother and Remy come home to you safe and sound. It's the least I can do for all you do for them, and now me._

_So if you would like to keep writing, I would love to hear from you. If you want to talk, I'm here to listen. If you want to cry, I'll do what I can from here to hold you the best way I can. _

_I know this is probably sudden and you said it yourself, it's crazy. But I spent days talking with your brother. I don't think there is a thing I don't know about you. There is nothing that I don't admire and respect that you've done. I think you are a wonderful woman Sookie Stackhouse and I would be honored if you allowed me to get to know you._

_Now, I know what I'm saying probably sounds crazy to you. But I guess you thought you were crazy for writing to me so we're even. I couldn't stop thinking about you before I laid eyes on you and now that I have, you will be forever haunting my thoughts, my dreams and everything in between._

_But I'm giving you the same out that you gave me in one of your many beautiful emails. If I have totally scared or freaked you out, I will understand if you don't want to write to me anymore. I will be saddened that I have hurt you in any way and I will kick myself from one end of the compound to the other. I'd probably let your brother and the whole unit get a part of me as well._

_But if there is one thing I've learned over here it's to not take a single thing for granted and to not wait until tomorrow to tell someone something. So I'm telling you, Sookie Stackhouse that you have captured my heart from a hello and a box of cookies. You endeared me to you with a simple book. You filled my thoughts and heart with warm memories through your brother's tales of you. If that is all I'm to have, I'll be thankful for it. But if you wish to continue the course we've set out on without even knowing we were at sea, then I'd consider myself the luckiest man on the planet._

_I wait to hear from you my sweet girl and will busy myself with memorizing your letters to further get to know the person that is Sookie Stackhouse._

_Until then,_

_Yours,_

_Eric_

I sit opening and closing my mouth. God, I must look like a cod fish. Can this actually be real? Did I fall asleep? Am I dreaming? No, I can't be dreaming because I can hear my own heart beating in my chest. But this man, this God of a man has basically professed his feeling for me and I've barely said hello to him. I've only gotten one look at him but Oh God what a look it was. But could this be real? I know I've built him up in my mind. But seriously, I've now received two emails from him. Could there be something, anything between us? How could there be? Well, maybe there could be. I mean stranger things have happened. Well, no, not to me, but to people who live in large cities and meet hundreds of people a day, things like this happen to, right? Okay, maybe only on those silly movies about sappy women and fate and stuff like that. Stuff, I couldn't believe in, not after Tray. But could I?

God, Sookie, get a grip. The man said he wants to get to know you. He didn't ask you to marry him. You need to put your head back on your shoulders and out of the clouds. He wants to be your friend. I'm sure he has lots of them but war is lonely. I can be his friend and he seems to be okay with my word vomit all the time. So, yeah, I could use a friend too.

I hit reply and start.

_Dear Eric,_

_You letter was very sweet and warmed my heart. No, you didn't scare me off and if this is crazy, I say let's go crazy together. _

_I would love to continue this course and see what shore it leads us too. _

_There is much that happened today, but I need to get out of this suit and into something comfortable. Once I've cleared my head with a hot shower, I'll write more._

_But until then, know that I'm thinking of you._

_Stay safe and be well._

_Yours,_

_Sookie._

I hit send and decide that a shower is just the thing that I need to clear my head. Not from what happened today but to clear my mind of thoughts of this man. God, he could muddle a nun, I swear to you.

***0***

I take an extra-long time in the shower. It's not like I have to worry about anyone else trying to get in or if I use all the hot water. Hey it's a perk of being away from home. One of the few and I'm going to take advantage of it.

Getting out and putting on my comfy lounge pants and tank, I settle back on the bed. Grabbing my laptop, I see that Eric has already responded.

I open it and can't help the smile.

_Dearest Sookie,_

_I'll give you forty-five minutes in the shower but that's all I'm willing to share you for. Then I would love it if you would meet me on Skype._

_Yours ( I like writing that),_

_Eric._

Oh My God, he wants to talk…


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Proud to be the First in a Fight.

I just look at the screen. You would think I was waiting for it to come alive or something. I can't believe that he really wants to talk to me. He read my email, and wants me to get on Skype tonight to talk to him. I look at the time stamp on the email and then turn to the nightstand to check the time. I've got three minutes until my allotted forty-five minutes are up. Only three minutes to make a decision. Do I want to talk to him? OH YES. Will I be able to talk to him? Yeah, now that's the question. I could barely look at him when I he showed up when I was talking to the boys. Hell, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I still can't believe I was so tongue tied. I'm never at a loss for words. . But I was shocked to see him and to see what he looks like. He's a God, for goodness sakes. How am I going to be able to talk to a God like that? I mean aren't there laws of physics about looking into the sun?

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I think back to what he wrote to me. He was so sweet and kind. I can't help but smile thinking of his words. I know that this is all so strange, so crazy and most of all so surreal. I don't know what to think but I feel like this is all right.

There is something about all of this that seems very old fashioned. Not that having the ability to email and Skype is old fashioned. But the way we need to communicate does. It seems like something Gran and Gramps would be doing when they started courting. It seems very special.

I look at the clock again, one minute. I guess I need to login. Running over to the dresser, I pull out my sweater that came with the tank I have on now. Okay, maybe I didn't need to cover myself but I did anyway. It just seems prudent to do. No matter what we've written to each other or what we've confessed already, Gran and Momma would have my hide if I went flaunting around a video camera in a skimpy top with a man watching that I barely know. Shoot, Gran has a hissy when I walk around in my bathing suit. Well, I guess she has a point with that, I do wear small ones.

Putting on my sweater, I grab my computer and jump up on the bed with it in front of me. Launching the application, I put in my credentials and smile. He's already on line waiting for me. I hit the connect button and my computer screen changes to see the God of a Man in front of me.

"Sookie?" He asks with a smile. "God you are so beautiful."

I smile and look down a little. He thinks I'm beautiful? He's a God.

"I'm sorry, Susannah, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I couldn't help myself. But let me start over. How was your shower? Did it help you relax?"

"It was very nice and yes, it was exactly what I needed." I say as I pull my hair up into a messy bun. "What time is it there?" I ask and turn to look at my clock again. It's just after 11 at night here.

"It's just after 9:30 in the morning. We have some free time today. I think they are trying to make up for not sending us back earlier," I see him lean back against his rack. "I need to be down for another briefing later, though."

"How are you doing after all that?" I ask him. "Jason told me what he could but I know it was probably worse than he let on."

The look on his face changes for just a second. "We are doing okay. We lost a few men and I'm going to be taking on a few extra things until they can decide how to deal with some things; but it's better than the alternative." He shrugs.

"You take care of yourself, you hear me?" I feel the tears welling in my eyes. I always get emotional when any of the guys talk about what could have happened.

"Hey," he says softly and he moves so that he's leaning closer to the screen. "I didn't have you get on here with me to get upset. I want to see that pretty smile, please."

I sniff back and smile. "I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you either. You don't need to see my tears," I brush away the lone one that got away from me. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't let anything happen to the men." He smiles at me. "Jason and Remy are safe with me."

"I don't want anything to happen to you either," I say. "We just started to get to know one another. I'm not ready to stop talking yet."

"Okay, well let's talk. Tell me about your day." He says.

I sigh. "Let's start with something nice, first."

"That bad, huh?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"No not really. Well, yeah it was a pain, but let's talk about something else." I say to him.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asks me.

"Well, I'm a little at a loss here. If you've been talking to Jason about me, I want to know about you and I don't want to go through my brother." I tilt my head to the side.

"Well, fair is fair. Ask me anything you want." He laughs.

"Okay, where you from? Where did you go to school?" I ask him.

"I was born in New York City but at sixteen, my parents sent me to boarding school in New Hampshire. It didn't last long."

"Were you homesick?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "In a way, I suppose I was. I didn't want to be away from home and I did everything in my power to get out of there. I didn't exactly miss my parents but I did want them to pay attention to me. I was back home within the year."

"Your parents didn't give you much time?" I ask.

"Well my father is a powerful business man. He didn't have time for much. My mother, well, she liked the life that came with being Mrs. Edwin Northman. She loved me, but she was a bit of an eccentric and loved to be involved with anything and everything. She was from Baton Rouge and old Plantation money. She was used to being the belle of the ball and having a teenage son was not in the cards for her socializing."

"Where is your mother now?" I ask him.

"She, uh, she passed away when I was eighteen." He smiles softly.

"Eric, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything that was painful." I place my hand over my heart.

"It's okay, Sookie. It was a long time ago. I miss her but I try to remember happy things about her."

I sigh. "Okay, where did you go to school?"

"I went to Tulane for undergrad and then went to Columbia for law school. I graduated when I was twenty-four and sat for the bar. I passed on the first try and took my place as one of my father's corporate attorneys."

"You're a lawyer? Why didn't you go to the JAG?" I ask him.

"That's a different story all together. I thought about it. I mean, I had my friend But that's how I know Clancy Brighten. He and I were at Tulane together. He knew he was going to the JAG when we were there. I thought about it right after school but my father wanted me back in the city, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. He had plans for me and there was nothing that I was going to say to deter him. I left Tulane after graduation and started at Columbia Law the following fall. I would have preferred NYU but well," he shrugs again. "Other than that, I've lived at Parris Island and the surrounding area. I was in Florida for training and I've been in Europe a few times both growing up and after I joined up."

"WOW, other than the trips to visit the Unit's families, I've only lived in Montana." I say with a pout.

"But according to Jason you wouldn't have it any other way." He replies.

"Your right," I nod. "I love the ranch. I don't think I could ever leave it. Well, not for a long period of time."

"Jason said you were looking at schools in Colorado and California. You ever regret not going?" He shifts and I can see that his shirt is rolled up and I see the edge of a tattoo on his arm.

I shake my head. "No, not really. I mean, I finished High School early and started taking classes on line. There was no way Daddy would let me go away before I was eighteen. But then Remy and Jason joined up and I knew that my place was at the ranch. I didn't think twice about it. Jason would have done the same for me."

"Well, I think you are wonderful, Sookie. You may not think it's a lot but I know hundreds of people wouldn't think twice about leaving home and never looking back. You are a special breed of people." He gives me another one of his heart stopping smiles. God he's going to be the death of me.

"I don't know all about that. It's just what our family does for one another. I didn't think of it as a choice. There really never was one. It's not like I didn't get a degree and I do love the law. Sid Matt is good people and has a big heart. He's made it easy on me and given me time when I needed to be on the ranch. So I really have nothing to complain about. But again, we are back on me. Now tell me more about yourself. Do you have any siblings?"

He smiles but his eyes look a little sad. "I've got a half sister, she's almost eight."

"So I take it your father remarried after your mother passed?" I ask him.

He nods. "He married her the summer of 2002. Pam was born in May. She's really cute, well from what I can remember of her."

"Have you spent a lot of time talking to her online?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Last time I saw her, she was four years old. I was in New York on leave and went to visit my father. Pamela knew who I was, sort of and we spent the afternoon together. My father…well, let's just say, he didn't like that I was there and that I was with his little girl. The butler informed him I was there and he came to have a talk with me. That's the last time I've seen my father. Pam tries to get in touch with me. At five, she already knew how to use the computer and asked if she could write to me. I heard from her before we went out a few months ago. But I haven't since."

"That is not right, Eric. She's your sister and your father won't let you see her? That is just crazy. I would think that she would be proud to have her big brother in the service." I say to him.

"You would think so, but my father and I haven't seen eye to eye on anything in a very long time." He tries to smile. "Well, what else do you want to know?"

I shrug and lean back even further on the pillow. "Anything, everything," she laughs. "I want to know everything about you, Eric. I want to know what makes you laugh. I want to know what you live for. I want to know what you think about doing after you get out. I want to know your favorite memories, food and places to go. I want you to tell me as much or as little as you want me to know."

"Well, as for what I want you to know, I want you to know everything about me. As for what I want to do when I get out. Up until I got here, I thought I would be making a career out of the military."

"And now," I ask him softly.

"Now, I would give anything to be by your side and holding you," he pauses you. "Did I scare you?"

I shake my head. "No, and I think you mean that."

"I do, Sookie. For the first time in a long time, I have something worth coming home to. That is if you are okay with that?"

I smile again. "I'm okay with that. I don't know why I am, but I am. It's like someone hit the fast forward button on this whole thing. I feel close to you already and we've barely spoken to one another."

"That means nothing, Sookie. All I need to know if you are in this with me. I have had a hard time trusting anyone in a long time. I want to believe that I can trust you. I'm moving on instincts here, Sookie. I want you to know that."

"I think I'm working on the same thing. I don't trust easily, Eric. I've been hurt and I don't like the way it felt. I want to trust you with me and my heart and I'm going to. The only thing I ask is that you be honest with me. If this turns out to be something you aren't into anymore, tell me. If there is something I need to know, tell me. I don't care if you think it will hurt me, I need to know, okay?"

He nods his head. "I promise, Sookie. I can't tell you what is going on here, but that's the only thing I'll keep from you. Now is there anything else you want to know?"

"You can tell me anything you like." I say and yawn slightly.

"I should let you sleep." He says.

"No, keep talking. I like the sound of your voice. After so long of writing to you and imagining your voice, I think it sounds better than I ever imagined." I blush again.

"That is so damn cute. I don't think I've ever seen a girl blush the way you do." He laughs.

"Well, you've never met too many nice girls, have ya? I tease him.

"None as nice as you," he pauses. "So let's talk favorites. Jason said something about a ravine and a lake out at your place being your favorite?"

I nod. "There is a spot out on the west side of the property. It's a small hill but when I was little I thought it was the biggest drop off. At the bottom of the hill, is a cool lake. I love it there. It's so peaceful and quiet. My mother brought me there when I was a little girl. She was riding with me and wanted me to see someplace she loved. I fell in love with it that summer afternoon. Every time I need to feel close to her or Jason, I ride out there. It's my special place."

"That's beautiful, Sookie," he says softly.

"Where is your favorite place?" I ask him.

***0***

EPOV

Where is my favorite place. Would it be too sappy if I said right here, right now? Yeah probably.

"I don't know if I have one, Sookie," I pause. "When I was younger, I'd spend summers at my grandparent's place in Baton Rouge. But when they passed on, the house was sold. I liked being in the City. It's like no other place in the world. It truly is the city that never sleeps."

She smiles at me. God that smile could sink a thousand ships. "We are going to meet up there in fall. That is, the Units family. Last year we went to Florida. The year before that, we went to Parris Island because Remy and Jason had a leave, along with three of the other guys. That's right before they got shipped to where you are now."

I nod. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"So your favorite place is New York City?" She asks.

"Well, no. I mean I love it there. But I remember finding a water fall in the middle of a walk I went on in West Germany. There was the old church I explored in Italy that was right on the top of a hillside. I swear the builder must have been trying to reach heaven, putting it on top of the hill. Then there was the Mediterranean at midnight, Paris at twilight and the endless nights in Alaska." I say.

"I wish I'd seen all of that," she smiles at me.

"I'll show you any of them and we can discover new favorite places." I say hoping that I didn't say too much and this time she runs for the hills.

"Let's start simple and work our way from there. I don't need you jet setting me around the globe. That's not who I am."

"Sookie, I didn't mean…"

"Just come home to me," she says softly. "That is all I need. I need you all to come home safe, sound and in one piece."

"I'll do my best," I respond. "You want to tell me now what happened to upset you today."

She sighs and snuggles deeper into the pillow. "It wasn't anything new. Bill was mouthing off. I have told you about Bill, right?" I nod and she nods in return. "Well he was just mouthing off. Then the stuff with the Judge. I have no idea what Hoyt's mother has over this town, but it's like they would do anything to make all of us go away."

"Sookie, I don't like it. These people seem to be a bit off. You could get hurt staying there." I say to her and I mean it. This town has deliverance written all over it.

"I'm okay. I have Mitch and Tray here. Besides we are heading to Baton Rouge in two days' time. I'm hoping the Governor and the new judge will help us out. Now, I need to find Tara. Not only does she have information for us but I'm worried no one has heard from her." She sighs deeply.

"I still don't like it." I grumble.

"Now you never mind. I'm just fine. Before you know it, this whole thing will be a distant memory and I'll be back home." She yawns again.

"I think I may be able to help with the Tara situation. I've got a friend who is really good at finding things that don't want to be found. I'll see if he knows anyone in that area that can help you all." I watch as my beautiful girl shrinks further into the sheets.

"You are slowly becoming my hero, Eric." She says, this time without opening her eyes.

"I will strive to achieve the Letter on my chest." I say and smirk at her. As if she could see me, her cheeks get a little pink but her eyes don't open.

"Sleep sweet girl, everything will be better in the morning." I say to her and touch my screen by the image of her cheek. Oh, how I wish I could touch her.

"Can we talk soon?" She asks a little softer. She must be just on the verge of sleep.

"Whenever you want sweetheart….go to sleep." I say.

"Night, Eric," she moves to one side and I can get a better view of her body. Even in her sleep pants, tank and little sweater, she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I can't stop myself for keeping the connection open a little longer, just watching her sleep. She looks like a fucking angel, I swear to God. I can't get over how beautiful she is. I could watch her forever.

I hear her breathing even out and know that she's asleep. Touching my fingers to my lips, I brush them over the screen and wish for about the hundredth time since we connected this call that I could touch her. I would give anything to know if her skin is as soft as it looks.

"Sweet dreams, my girl." I wait just another moment before disconnecting.

I know that I should wait to make the next phone call, but Sookie needs help and she needs it now.

I look up the number and use the phone system on skype to dial. It rings twice and is answered.

"Who the fuck are you and how did you get this number?" He yells at me.

"Fuck you, you pansy ass. You know you give this number to so many women, your number is more well known than Papa Jack Pizza Place on East Street." I say to him.

"Damn, Northman is that you? What the fuck is up with this number? Shit the last time I saw you, you were heading for a tour. That shit change?" He asks.

"Hey Bobby, the phone is a Skype connection and yeah, I'm overseas." I say to him.

"Damn boy, what's up with this? Are you allowed to be calling people on this thing. Ain't it like, some secret military shit?" He laughs at me.

Bobby Burnham and I met while I was at Tulane. I was a Junior and he was, well, let's just say some chick was not happy with me and hired Bobby to spy on me. Once he saw the escapade I had going on one night, he walked up and introduced himself. When I questioned what he was doing, he told me that any guy who showed as much prowess as me was someone he had to get to know. The rest, they say is history.

"I need some help down in Louisiana. You anywhere near there or do you know of someone who would help?" I ask him.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on and I'll tell you who you need." He says.

I begin telling him about Hoyt and his burial. I move on to his mother and other stuff. I keep going until I get around to DuRone's wife.

Bobby is so silent that I think I lost the connetion. "You still there?" I ask.

"Yeah, I think I may lay to waste half the town for free Eric." He growls.

"I need you to check out this woman for me. Sookie needs info from her and is having trouble." I say.

"Yeah, you never talked about this one when you were home. Not that you talk about many but who is she?" I can almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"She's nothing you need to get yourself all up about. Keep your hands off her if you know what's good for you." I growl myself now.

"Now, relax, I can already tell by the sound of your voice that there is something important about this woman. Give me her number and I'll call her when I hit town. I'm just at the border now. If I hustle, I'll be in Shreveport by midday."

I give him the contact information. "Bobby, she's important."

"Don't worry, Eric. I won't put her in harm's way. She'll be safe with me." He says.

"Just make sure you watch out too." I say to him. "There is a rat in the garden."

"Well beating out the snakes is my specialty. Call me in three days and I'll let you know what I find out and don't worry, I'll keep an eye on your girl."

"Best be the only thing you are keeping on her." He laughs but I'm fucking serious.

We say our goodbyes and I disconnect just in time to see some of the guys coming back into the barracks. I close my laptop and decide to head down to talk to Huerta. But no matter how much I don't want to, Sookie is all over my mind. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels.


	11. Chapter 10

Semper Fi Chapter 10 - a move a jarhead would envy.

February 18th 2008 Shreveport LA

SPOV

I open my eyes and the black screen of a disconnected Skype connection in front of me.

"Oh shit," I say to the room. "Please, please tell me I didn't fall asleep on him last night?"

Reaching out, I pull the laptop to me. Minimizing the screen, I pull up my emails. There are several from Sid Matt and one from Clancy. I look at the time. It's still early and I'm not due in Sid Matt's room for another two hours. I look down a little farther and see an email from Eric. From the posting, it looks like it was after he and I spoke.

I click it open and a smile spreads across my face before I even start to read it.

_My Dearest Susannah,_

_You told me that you enjoyed hearing my voice but I have to tell you that your voice sounds like liquid silk. Your laugh sounds like an angel's song and your beauty is only paled by the heart you wish to share with everyone. _

_I know that it's probably early in our relationship to talk like that, but I can't help it. You are without a shadow of a doubt the most wonderful, beautiful and exciting woman I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I hope with all that I am that this is now making you blush and not scaring you._

_I told you last night, or this morning for me, that I was going on instinct. So I'm going to allow my instincts to lead me one more step. Watching you sleep made me calm and anxious all at the same time. Calm because your beauty and very presence is grounding. I heard it in your voice; saw it in your smile. But when you sleep, it reminds me of how a child looks when they slumber. Like there is nothing bad in the world and they are cared for and protected. _

_I was anxious because watching you sleep made me yearn to be there, holding you. I would give anything to be there with you, keeping you safe and protected. _

_That is my new dream, Sookie. To get through this and home so I can hold you. Everything else will be a bonus if I can have you wrapped in my arms._

_Okay, so if I haven't sufficiently scared you away, there is one more thing I need to tell you. A friend of mine, Bobby Burnham will be contacting you sometime today. He is an old friend and someone who is good at finding things, especially when they don't want to be found. Clancy knows him, as well, and will help him in getting what he needs to get the job done. I have no doubt that he'll find Tara for you. I'm sure that JB will want to know what happened to his wife. He hasn't been able to track her down either. He told me to tell you that if he finds out where she went off to, he'll let you know. He's all kinds of torn up about her knowing what was going on with Holly. To be honest, he's madder than hell._

_I am hoping that we will be able to speak again when you return to the hotel, but we have to be ready for drills early in the morning and I'm not sure when we will be back. I'll email you when I return and if you are up and back, we will talk._

_Until then, my darling girl, know that you are in my heart and in my thoughts._

_Be safe and take care of yourself. _

_Yours, _

_Eric._

I smile as I reread the email several times before I shoot him off a short one apologizing for falling asleep on him and telling him that I'm looking forward to speaking with him again. I thank him for trying to help us with finding Tara and of course, I end it with telling him to be safe and to take care of himself.

I check out the emails from Sid-Matt and Clancy. Sid wants me to do a little research this morning and has arranged for us to be able to use the one and only conference room at the hotel.

I lean back and try to picture Eric at this moment. I really have only seen him from the chest up. But even with that, I know he's tall, much taller than Jason and Remy. His shoulders are so broad and that smile, God, that smile could make women fall at his feet and probably has. No, I'm not going down that road. We both said we are going on instinct with this, so I won't think about his past, other women or any of that. Everyone has baggage and pasts. It makes us who and what we are. I may not want to know about Eric's past, but if he wants to tell me about it, I'll listen. If he doesn't, I'll leave it at the door.

Part of me, the part that was crushed by Tray, is telling me to run away as fast as I can. A man like Eric would have no use for a little girl from Montana with no real experience of life. That the moment that something else comes along that's better, he's going to drop me, break my heart and laugh at my pain. Just like Tray did. Well, okay, maybe Tray didn't do all those things; it just felt like he did. But that part of me is telling me to lock away my heart before it can ever be hurt again. That part of me, a big part of me, is screaming in my head.

Then there is the other part of me. The part of me that knows that love is out there, I've seen it. The part of me that knows that my brother would never hurt me and would never let anyone around me that would hurt me. Then again, he never thought that Tray would hurt me, but that's different. Jason wasn't here. Jason is there, with Eric and I know that he would have never been okay with Eric and me talking if he thought for one moment that I'd get hurt. So which part of me am I going to listen too, my bruised ego or my heart?

Getting out of bed, I get going with my morning starting with yet another hot shower. Under the spray, I think about everything Eric said to me last night. How honest he was with me about his past. I saw a lot in his eyes when he talked and even more in them of the things that he didn't. For some reason, I know that he's as vulnerable as I am and somehow that makes me feel better. Somehow, that makes me feel like we are equal in all of this. That is what I want, someone to be my equal. Someone that will listen to me and really hear me; someone that feels what I feel and lays it out there bare for me to see. Even at the best time in our relationship, I don't think Tray and I were ever equals. Sure, he told me he loved me and I really believed him. But he still saw me as the little girl. The rancher's daughter who was someone to be with. I don't think he ever loved me with as much of himself as I loved him. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

Finishing up in the shower, I busy myself with getting ready as I entertain my mind with images of Eric in all the places he told me about.

Before I knew it, I was ready for my day. Grabbing my laptop, I head out and down to the conference room off the lobby.

When I entered, Clancy, Flower and Sid-Matt were already there. Bill was not in attendance. Not surprising but very much appreciated.

"Sookie," Clancy says. "Eric said that he told you about Bobby?" He stands and holds my chair out for me.

I nod at him as I sit down. "He did," I say to him. "Have you spoken to him?"

"He called me at five this morning. He thought I'd be less pissed to be woken at the crack of dawn than you. He was fucking wrong, but that's another story."

We all laugh but I do appreciate not being woken by someone I don't know at that time of the morning. At least the man has some courtesy.

"He'll be here in a bit," he says and goes back to speaking with Flower

"Sook," Sid-Matt says. "Mitch and Tray are out getting breakfast."

"Where's Bill?" I ask him.

He sighs. "I don't know. He was out and gone before I knocked on his door this morning. The manager said they saw him leave at about six this morning."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Sid-Matt. He has done everything in his power to get in our way. You ready to tell me why he's here?" I sit back in my chair.

He sighs. "His father wanted him to come because this has the potential of being a big case if we get the right press on it. He wanted the face of our small firm represented but now; I think they had other motives."

"Sid, he's done everything but give Mrs. Fortenberry our evidence. I even saw him talking to her attorney yesterday when we were leaving the courthouse. What do we know about this Halleigh Robinson?"

"Not much," I hear someone say. I turn to see the DA, Frank Pierce and his assistant, Annabeth Mason walk into the room. "We need to know more, Sookie." He puts his items on the table and sits next to me.

"Wait a minute," I say and hold up my hand. "I'm not from around here and it's not like the parish is falling over themselves trying to talk to me," I look back and forth between all the people in the room. Mitch and Tray have shown up and are putting the breakfast items on a side table. "I wasn't able to find out much about this lawyer other than her bio at her firm. What is it you want me to find out?"

"We need to know what her connection to the Fortenberrys is. We need to know motive. Half the things she's done is grounds for disbarment, never mind jail time. We need to know why she would risk everything for some woman that by all accounts she has no connection to this family," he leans forward. "We need information, Sookie. We have enough to put these people away for a very long time, but we need to know why."

"I didn't know the why was important, Mr. Pierce," I say to him. "The law is the law and she broke it. I don't care what this Ms. Robinson's connection to the Fortenberry family is. This attorney knew better. We've already proven that they conspired to steal what is rightfully Holly and her daughter's inheritance, she stole the money from the house, his death benefits and let's not forget that she held Holly and Jessica against their will."

"Yes, but we have Holly's word against Mrs. Fortneberry's on a lot of that. They can say that Holly signed over the house to Hoyt's mother. They can say that Holly was fixing on leaving the area and didn't want to continue the marriage. They can say that Holly signed over his death benefits to his mother. They can say a lot of things. What we need is more proof."

"What else do you need?" I stand and start pacing. "I don't understand. We have proof that Holly didn't sign over the money from the sale of the house. It isn't even close to her signature. We have proof that Hoyt was buried without considering his wishes. We have the documentation that Hoyt gave Holly before his deployment. What else to do need."

"Witnesses," a man says as he walks into the room. "We need people that are willing to talk."

He smirks and walks into the room eying me up and down. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, sugar," he smirks at me. "Let the men handle this."

"Shit Burnham, way to make an entrance," Clancy says. "Didn't know you'd be here so soon."

"Hey, Eric said you all need my expertise, so here I am," he moves to shake Clancy's hand and then turns to the rest of the room. "Name's Bobby Burnham," he smiles. "I hear you are all in need of finding some things. Northman thought I could help."

"Yes," Mr. Pierce raises an eyebrow. "Lieutenant Brighten emailed me this morning and informed me of your willingness to involve yourself with this case. I've also heard about you."

"Ah, I see that my reputation precedes me," he smiles again and looks at Jade. "Don't think I've had the pleasure?"

"Lieutenant Jade Flower, JAG," she says without shaking his hand.

"Well, nice to meet ya," he turns to Annabelle. "Ms. Mason, always a pleasure. Didn't know you were making the trip up here from NOLA."

"Burnham," she says and looks back at the file in front of her.

"Well, that means that you must be the illustrious Sookie Stackhouse," he moves closer to me. It didn't go unnoticed that Mitch has moved a little closer to me. "Eric said that you were in need of my," he looks me up and down again, "assistance."

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Burnham," I say to him and hold out my hand. "Eric spoke very highly of you."

"Oh, he did, did he?" He says.

"We need to find her," Clancy holds out a file. Bobby smiles at me and moves to take it from the man.

"Her name is Tara DuRone. Her husband is stationed with Northman and he was best friends with Sargent Fortenberry. She was here when Ms. Stackhouse came for the funeral and now she's gone. Her mother isn't talking and DuRone's parents, James and Louisa have moved back to Mississippi. They are willing to talk to us but they don't know anything about Tara. Her mother says she's fine but won't say where she is. According to the DuRone's, Tara had been staying with her mother but her mother, Sarah-Beth, says her daughter was in her own place in Reston. We've found no residence under Mrs. DuRone's name."

Bobby looks through the file that pretty much says everything that Clancy has addressed. I should know, I found all of that so far. That's where the trail runs cold.

"Could be any number of things. Will need to check a few things out," he looks at me. "You up for a road trip?"

"Sookie has some things to do for the case, Mr. Burnham. If you need someone's assistance, we can send Mitch or Tray with you." Sid motions to the two men who have gotten closer and closer to me since Mr. Burnham has joined us.

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary," he shakes his head. "I just thought Ms. Stackhouse here could give me some more insight into this woman since she's met her and all."

"I'm not the only one that has met her, Mr. Burnham," I say to him. "And everything I know is in that report."

I go to move by him when I feel something brushing my backside. "Oh, I know you have more to give me than what is in the report."

Before he can say another word, I spin, grabbing Bobby's arm and moving the way both Jason and Remy have taught me to. The next thing Mr. Grabby hands knows, he's flat on his back looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't remember giving you permission to touch me, Mr. Burnham. I'd thank you to keep your hands to yourself." I growl at him.

"Holy Shit, woman," he says. "I meant nothing by it. Just wanted to see what your game was. Northman said you were special to him. Wanted to see if you thought the same," he grunts as he tries to get up. "Didn't know Northman was hung up on a kick-ass. Have you tried that move on him?"

"Mr. Burnham, if you are going to work with us, let's get something straight," I cross my arms under my chest. "First, I don't like being touched unless I invite it. Second, we are working on a very serious case. Eric knows damn well what we are doing and I don't think he'd send you to us if you weren't good at what you do. But make no mistake, I learned a long time ago how to hunt, how to hurt and how to defend myself. You don't behave, you will get a can of whup-ass opened on you the likes you've never seen."

Bobby is busy getting up and back on his feet. He stands up straight and looks at me. "Is that all, Ms. Stackhouse?"

"No," I shake my head. "You better be as good as you think you are. We need to find Tara and we need to find her now."

I turn and make my way back to the table.

"I like you, Sookie," he laughs. "I think Eric finally met his match."

***0***

February 19th, Afghanistan

EPOV

The day had been hot, steamy and tiring.

The orders on high were that they were combining the two units into one. They weren't going to be getting any more men into the area until after we leave so they figured I could handle it all. I fucking hated it. It was bad enough getting to know my men. Now I had a whole new crop to get used too.

Our training exercises were more to see how we were all going to meld together. There was still a lot of tension left over from the ambush and many of the guys didn't know how to feel about the whole thing. When it came down to it, Franklin cost a great many men their lives and that isn't something that can be gotten over easily.

We were being sent out again at the end of the week. I want to believe we will be ready, but some of these guys, well, I have my doubts about. Not my guys. Or should I say, not my original unit. Every one of them is a stand up and do his job kind of guy. Some of Franklin's men seem to have slipped into an uneasy sense of security. I'm not sure what kind of missions they've been put on up until now, but it wasn't anything like we saw in that courtyard. They need to get back in the game and fast. I know damn well that Huerta ain't gonna be sending us to no picnic.

I excused the guys about an hour ago. These break of dawn training sessions are never pretty and no one likes them, but they are the best time. Even now, at eight am, it's getting almost too hot to do much. Huerta wants me to do some more training this afternoon. I wasn't looking forward to it but if I want to be ready for our next deploy, I know it's necessary.

Rushing through my shower and heading back to the barracks, I can hear some of the guys laughing.

"Holy shit, Sookie," I hear Remy say. "What did he say after you flipped him?"

I move a little faster when I hear Savoy say my girl's name.

"He…well, we got along better," I hear her say. "What did you all get up to today?" She asks.

"Sarge," Remy calls when he sees me. "You got to hear this."

"Remy, stop," I hear Sookie say. "It's not a big deal."

I make my way over to the men and see that though Remy, Alcide and Stan are laughing, Jason isn't.

"What is going on?" I ask them all.

"Man, you have to hear this. I thought our little girl was tough, but she needs to join the WWE!" Alcide laughs.

I look at Jason and then at the screen. Stackhouse looks pissed. Sookie looks worried.

"It's nothing, really," she says. "Look, I gotta go," she looks up at me. "I'll talk to you later. Be safe. I love you all."

The screen looks dark and the guys start to move away from the computer. All except Stackhouse.

"What happened?" I ask him.

He spins on me. "Did you speak with my sister last night?"

I nod. "Yeah, we, we Skyped last night. Now what happened? Who did she flip?"

"Well, it seems that you asked one of your buddies to come up and help them?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, Bobby Burnham. He's the best of the best. If DuRone's wife is still walking the planet, he'll find her. What's going on?" I ask a little harsher. I know there is something wrong and if he doesn't tell me now, I think I'm going to lose my damn mind.

"Well, it appears that your friend likes to grab things. He went for my sister's ass and she taught him a lesson." He growls out. "Is this the type of friend you send to help my sister? Because if it is, I don't care what your rank is…"

"He Fucking did WHAT!" I scream.

But before Stackhouse or anyone else can say anything to me, I take off to my footlocker, pull out my laptop and dial the son of a bitch himself.

The phone rings twice.

"Took you long enough," he says.

"What the Fuck Bobby!" I scream at him. "I told you that she was off limits. Didn't I tell you to keep you fucking hands to yourself. So help me God, when I get back to the states I'm putting a bullet in your ass and then I'm going to beat the shit out of you!"

"Wow, man, shit calm down. Your little girl took care of herself, and well I might add. Shit, I may need to go see a chiropractor. That floor was hard." He laughs.

"Did I or did I not tell you to keep your fucking paws off my girl?" I ask him.

"Shut it, will ya. I did it for you." He says.

"How the fuck is putting your hand on my girl's ass doing it for me?" I growl at him. "You are so fucking lucky I'm not there right now!"

"Will you calm down for two seconds. I did it for you. I wanted to see how she'd react. When I got there, I started checking her out. She wouldn't bite. I started with some innuendos, she was just acting professional. So I tried to touch her. Shit, she let me know that my advances were unwanted," he laughs again. "Eric, I've known you a fucking long ass time. I knew you in school, I knew you when you met Yvetta and I knew you when you were fucking your way through half the women living in a twenty mile radius of the base. I've known you long enough to know that you have already fallen for this girl. I wanted to make sure she wasn't about to play you."

"You fucking asshole, I could have told you that she wasn't playing me. Now, I'm going to tell you this once, if you ever touch her again in any way other than to protect her, I'll make sure that you are put through a hurting that your grandchildren will feel. You get it, motherfucker?" I growl at him.

"Yeah, got the same talking to from Clancy and that dude that's here to help her out, Mitch something. Lest we forget that the girl in question laid me out without breaking a sweat. But man, I can tell what she means to you. I won't let anything happen to her and I'll do what I can to help these folks. They are doing what's right and that town is fifty shades of fucked up."

"Just remember what I said. I have to get in touch with Sookie. I call you later in the week." I say and hang up.

I see that she's still online, so I send her an Instant message to meet me on Skype.

Setting up the screen, I wait. It only takes a few minutes, but the connection is made. She's sitting on the bed again. This time in a tee shirt and sleep pants. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail and her bottom lip is between her teeth like she's waiting to be scolded."

"Baby are you okay?" I ask, touching the screen. God would I give anything to be able to touch her right now.

"I'm fine, Eric. He just touched my ass. I really think it was some sort of a test." She says to me and smirks a little. "I doubt he thought he was going to be flipped onto his back though."

"Sookie, honey, I don't know what to say. Baby, he says he did it to test you. But I didn't put him up to it. I would never put you in that type of predicament. I swear if I was there, I'd kick his ass."

"Eric, it's okay. He's not the first to touch my bottom but I wouldn't just stand there and let him treat me with such disrespect. I'm not into playing those kinds of games and I'm seriously a one man woman. Well," she blushes and looks down. "I didn't mean, I, well, yeah, um.."

I smile at her nervousness. "Baby, you are a one man woman, my woman and I'm sorry that my friend treated you in such a manner. I don't care what he was trying to prove. The next time I see him, I'm kicking his ass."

"I. I'm your girl?" She asks.

"If you want to be. I know I want you to be." I say softly.

She nods with tears in her eyes. "I want to be."

"God, would I give anything to be there with you right now. I really want to kiss you. That's okay to say, right? We are passed the getting spooked phase, right?"

"No," she laughs, "not spooked. I like it, actually. I would really like you to be here too. We didn't make any headway today and I'm really getting home sick. Not to mention, I need to speak to some of the wives soon. Isabella, Stan's wife wanted to come over from Texas to be with me. But this town is so crazy, Eric, I don't think I want her here. I could really use a hug right about now."

"Sookie, know if I was there I'd be holding onto you with all that I have. But, honey, if you feel like it's getting too crazy, go home. Let Sid-Matt find an attorney there that can handle things for Holly. You already have the rights to exhume Hoyt and bring him back with you. Let the DA and JAG handle his Momma." I say to her.

"I know Eric," she smiles. "If it gets any worse, I'll be on the first flight home. I just have to see this through. Holly is counting on all of us and even she's getting the willies from these people. Eric, she went into town today to shop for Jess. There must have been a few women there from Bon Temps. Eric, you should have heard the names they called her. I swear, you would think this town was something right out of a cult. It's the strangest thing. Something's going on there Eric. I can feel it."

"Sookie, you are there to do right by Hoyt's memory and get what Holly needs. Let the courts and the DA's office deal with Bon Temps. You do what you got to do but don't be doing anything rash, ya hear me."

"Eric," she touches the screen. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine. We are heading to Baton Rouge the day after tomorrow and hopefully everything will be handled then. With any luck, I'll be headed home by the weekend."

"Baby, I am going to worry about you. I'm going to worry about you until I know you are safe. If it isn't in my arms then at least on the ranch surrounded by people who love you. I just, shit Sookie, the next ten months are going to be hell!" I brush my hand over my head. Sometimes I miss my long hair.

"I know honey," she smiles. "You don't get any leave between now and then?" I ask him.

"If I was reenlisting, then yeah. But I'd have to do that like, well," I look at the date on the computer and laugh. "Yeah, I would have had to do that yesterday."

"Seriously," she squeaks. "You, you didn't reenlist?"

"No, my sweet girl, I didn't. I told you last night that I had something to finally come home too. I'm looking forward to starting a future. If I have anything to say about that, it will be with you." I smile at her.

"Eric, I, well, I know this is a long ways away, but would you consider coming to Montana? I mean, you said you wanted a future but I just," she blushes again. "Forget I asked, okay? We'll, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Sookie," I wait for her to look at me. "Sookie, honey look at me," she slowly raises her head. I smile when I see the blush completely covering her face. "Baby, Montana is your home. I would never ask you to leave it. I'll need to make some calls, write a few emails and talk to a few people about what my options are. But I would never ask you to leave your home. I know how much it means to you. Besides, I like horses. Haven't ridden in years, but I'm willing to relearn."

"You, you would come back with me?" She asks.

"Okay, Sookie, I'm going to say something that will probably sound like it's way too early in this relationship to say, but here it goes." I take a deep breath. "When, well, when I think of a future, I only see you now. When I think of a home, I see your smile. When I think of eternity, I see me holding your hand. I know this is quick and it's really, really unorthodox, but that's the way I feel. If Montana is your home, then it'll be mine as well."

I watch the screen, hoping that she won't go running away. I can't help myself when I'm around my girl. It's like the brain to mouth filter turns off. No, that's not it. It's the heart to mouth filter kicks on. I watch her for what feels like eternity before she begins to smile.

"I think I like the sound of that," she says.

I let out a breath that I don't even know that I'm holding. "Good to know."

***0***


	12. Chapter 11

A/N Happy St. Patrick's day, my friends. I thought we needed a little treat, so here is the next chapter of Semper Fi!

Okay, I have to say this, because it was bothering me all last night. There was a person signing in as guest and flaming (and I do mean flaming - using the F-Bomb and everything) early chapters of AED. Since it was a guest login, I couldn't respond. But I did go ahead of her a chapter or two and put an A/N that the chapters on my WP sit had been re-beta'd so she should head on over to read the story. The first several chapters on Fanfiction hadn't been re-posted with the latest and greatest. Well, that didn't stop the reviewer. It got so bad that I pulled the story from Fanfiction and posted a note to go over to WP if they wanted to read it.

This is the second story that a guest has flamed in this manner. I don't mind critiques. I welcome them, actually, but this person was just mean. Flaming everything from the dialogue, to the choice of words to the plot to how I was depicting the characters. I am afraid that if this person doesn't stop, many other authors (including myself) will be pulling their stories. Because no one wants to be subjected to that.

But all my stories are on the WP site (inlovewitheric dot wordpress dot com). So if you have any friends that read anything I write and the stories start to disappear, please let them know where to find them.

I'm sorry, but I will neither stoop so low as to acknowledge these types of flames with responses (there is no reason to drop F-Bombs in reviews) nor will I stand back and let them bully me into doing something, moving a story in a direction or change my plans for a story.

Okay, enough complaining. I want to thank everyone who has come to read and review not only this story but all my stories. There is a lot out there to read and I am humbled that you take the time to read mine.

Thank you to TexasEx and Sephrenia for their help with this chapter. I love you both.

Okay, without further ado, please let me know what you think of this chapter:

Semper Fi - Chapter 11 Lock and Load.

***0***

Semper Fi Chapter 11 - Lock and Load.

March 4th 2008 Louisiana

SPOV

"How are you doing?" I ask the screen.

"I will be okay," he sighs. "We leave in a few hours. We should only be a week, maybe ten days. It shouldn't be too bad. I don't want you to worry."

"Eric, I'm going to worry about all of you. But I know you will be safe and protect one another." I try to smile at him but I know that it's not reaching my eyes.

"Have you spoken to your brother tonight?" He asks.

I nod my head. "They all called me before they went to eat. Why aren't you with them?"

He shrugs. "I wanted to talk to my girl and for once, I didn't want the whole goddamn unit here when I did."

I giggle. "Well, you really should get some food and get some rest. The crack of dawn is going to come real early if you don't."

"Crack of dawn I could handle, Baby. It's the three am roll calls that kill ya."

Is it terrible that it makes me all squishy that he calls me baby? Yeah, he's heading out on patrol and I'm having some really nasty thoughts.

"What are you thinking, little girl?" He gives me that pantie dropping smile.

Over the last two weeks we have skyped almost every day and we have talked about a lot of things. Many things I'm not sure my brother would be too happy that I'm talking about. But hey, I'm a big girl and well, yeah. I'm not exactly the little naive thing that Jason would like me to be. Especially when it comes to a tall, blonde Sergeant. Yeah, so not pure and innocent thoughts.

"Oh, it must be good if it's making you blush like that," he leans back and I can tell that he's shirtless. Holy Shit!

"You are sitting there with no shirt on, showing off your washboard abs and you are even guessing what I'm thinking about?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Shit," he says at the look I give him. He's already told me that the look makes him think his own nasty thoughts. "You can't look at me like that right now."

"Why is that, Sergeant?" I ask with a little bit of purr in my voice. I watch him swallow twice.

"Okay, this game is getting dangerous," he says as he leans over, grabbing a tee shirt and covers up. I frown.

"You look like someone took your favorite toy." He laughs.

"Okay, next time, I'll sit talking to you topless and we will see who frowns when I cover up." I cross my arms over my chest.

"Damn it," he moves and the laptop goes tumbling. He quickly recovers and he doesn't look happy.

"What?" I ask him.

"You cannot be giving me that look, talking about being topless or anything like that right now, baby. I don't know if I can handle it." He growls at me.

"You started it," I whine at him.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry about that. But you don't have a unit heading back soon and have a problem in your pants."

"So says you," I mumble.

He laughs. "Okay, we both need to stop. This is not the time and definitely not the place."

I blow out the air in my lungs. "Fine," I growl.

He laughs again. "Baby, if you want to get into that talk I'm all for it," he gives me the smirk again." But if we are, then I'll see about using the officer's tent or something."

I swallow hard now. "Really?"

"Baby, you know how I feel about you?" He asks. I nod not trusting my voice right about now. We've had a few conversations about how we feel about one another over the last few weeks and I have no doubt that our relationship will be very physical once he's back in the states. Yah me!

"Then you know I would do anything to have you alone for a few, well, are days asking too much?" He asks.

"When you get home baby," I say softly. "You can have all the time alone you want with me."

He growls again. "Yeah, but I will be needing to speak to your daddy first."

I want to say something but I get the feeling that my mouth and eyes are as wide as moons.

"What, you think I'm about to take his precious little angel away and do really bad things to her without his consent?" He asks.

"Eric, I don't think asking my daddy to sleep with me is going to go over well." I sigh.

"I am not asking him to sleep with you, baby. I'm asking permission to keep his daughter." He says real seriously.

"Eric, we…we've only been talking for a few weeks. Don't talk like that." I stutter out. Not that I wouldn't love for him to talk like that. I've been thinking about forever with this hunk of a man myself but isn't too soon? Isn't it? I mean I know I'm falling for him but isn't it too soon to be thinking like all of that?

"I don't care if we've been talking a day, a week, a month, a year or ten years, it means no different to me baby. But if you don't…"

"NO!" I scream at him. "No, it's not that. I just thought, I mean, yeah, I guess like you said, nothing about this relationship is orthodox so yeah, I guess we can talk about our wishes and dreams. If it's your intension to talk to my Daddy about keeping me, then I guess I should say I want to be kept."

"You guess huh?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, yeah, I like the idea of you keeping me." I say to him.

"Good, cause to be honest with you Susannah Stackhouse, you really didn't have a choice." He responds.

"Well, it's good to know that, Sergeant. We wouldn't want anyone to think you aren't in charge of this relationship." I retort.

"Shit, baby, that's not what I meant." He rubs his hand over his head.

"Baby, relax," I laugh at him. "I'm only kidding. Now you really need to get some food and get some sleep. Jason said that you guys are not gonna have time to sleep. So blow me a kiss and tell me you will see me soon."

"I will blow you as many kisses as you want and you will talk to me soon, baby. You okay in Baton Rouge? I know you wanted to be home by now?" He asks me.

"Yeah, we are doing fine. I think Bobby is close to finding something," I say. "And then we will be heading home. Don't worry about us. The judge here is being really accommodating and the DA is on this. I think Holly and I could really go home now. Jessica is missing her Momma and I'm so homesick I can't see straight. I bet by the time you get back we will be back on the Ranch and you can hear all about the new horses we have and how much snow will need to melt before we see the grass." I say quickly.

"Okay, baby," he smiles at me. "You take care of you and make sure that you have Mitch or Bobby with you if you go out, Holly too."

"Eric, we are a few hours away from Bon Temps. Don't worry. No one is coming here." I try to assure him.

"Maybe so, baby," he nods. "But I would feel a whole lot better when you are back on the ranch. I don't trust these people and both Clancy and Bobby are frustrated at the walls they are hitting. You stay where you are and please baby, don't do anything rash. You will get what you need and everything will be alright."

"Baby, don't you worry about a thing," I touch the screen. "You worry about your men and the mission. You know that no one is going to let me do anything that would put me in harm's way. I will be fine and waiting for you to be back so I can see your handsome face."

"You think I'm handsome?" He smirks again.

"Baby, you know damn well that you are one hot man. But you didn't want to get into this talk so let's just say goodbye so you can focus on your mission."

"Be safe, I'll talk to you soon." He smiles at me.

"You too honey," I say softly. "Keep your head down and your wits about you."

I hear noise behind him. He turns his head to the noise and then back to me. "Shit, the Lieutenant is here. I gotta go baby. I love you. Be safe." He kisses his hand and touch the screen.

Before I could respond the screen goes dark.

He just told me he loves me. He fucking said he loves me and I didn't get to respond. Well doesn't that just beat all.

I look up and see the person that has walked through the suite and is now leaning on the door frame. "You didn't tell him that we were back in Shreveport." Bobby says to me.

"No, and neither are you," I stand up and take off the tee-shirt that I'd been wearing so Eric couldn't see my dress. The last time that Bobby went into this god forsaken town he mentioned the type of dresses they wore. According to him, they were something out of the Donna Reed show or the Ozzy and Harriet show. He mentioned the white gloves, hand bags, flip do hairstyles and pearls. I had to agree with him that they all reminded me of the Stepford Wives.

It was after his last excursion that I had my latest idea. After shopping in Shreveport for the perfect dress, I was ready.

Now I stand in front of him in a white dress with bold red flowers, simple black pumps and my hair pulled back on the sides with a string of pearls around my neck and the same type of earrings. The last two were courtesy of the local Walmart.

I grab the simple white gloves off the table and check my purse for everything I'm going to need.

"I don't like this idea Sookie. Eric is going to be totally pissed when he finds out what I let you do." Bobby shakes with his head.

"Well, with any luck, he won't need to know anything Bobby," I say to him.

He raises an eyebrow to me and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Look," I say to him. "You've been hunting and pecking around Bon Temps for the last two weeks with nothing to show for it. We are no closer to finding Tara or any information about Holly or either of their connection to Mrs. Fortenberry. You said yourself, no one is talking. So maybe if I look the part," I point to my dress, "maybe someone will talk to me." I shrug.

"Sookie, this is insane," he shakes his head. "You know as well as I that no one is going to talk to us in that town. If we are going to find Tara it ain't going to be by snooping around Bon Temps."

"Well, I gotta try something," I growl. "We just can't sit around and let this woman win."

"She's not going to win, Sookie. The JAG has already ordered the grave site exhumed and they have already re issued the benefits to Hoyt's woman. We could leave tomorrow and the DA would have to deal with everything else. All the depositions have been given and you guys would never even have to step foot in Louisiana again."

I shake my head. "I can't take the risk. She can still make trouble for Holly. I won't let that happen, Bobby. We need to know what is going on in that town and we need to make sure that that woman pays for all the ugly things she's done. I really can't believe that Hoyt knew what his Momma was up to," I shake my head. "Jason said he loved his wife and daughter so much. He wouldn't have left her in a place that would harm her but for life of me I can't figure out what is making that whole town turn a blind eye to not only what she did to Holly but to the fact that Tara is missing."

He shrugs. "I don't know, Sookie. There have been a few cases of people going missing that I found. But nothing out of the ordinary." He says.

"How many were there?" I ask him as I check my head band and flipped hair one more time. It took quite a few trips to You Tube to get the look right. I mean, who else does their hair like this? All the sights I found were for people either doing plays or dressing up as teenie-boppers for Halloween.

"I don't know, fifteen, twenty that I could find." He shrugs.

I do a double take at him. "Bobby, there have been how many people go missing?"

"Sook, hon," he moves a little closer to me. "It's a small town. Kids run away from small towns every day."

"Yeah, and how many of those missing people were teens?" I ask him.

He shrugs again. "Look it really doesn't matter who…"

"Just answer the question, Bobby. How many of the missing persons were rebel teens?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "I don't know Sookie. I'll need to look, at the file."

"Fine, you look while I'm in that grill on the outskirts of town." I grab my purse and head for the door.

He grabs my arm on my way passed him. "I agreed to come here because you had a point, Sookie. But there is no way on this or any other planet I'm letting you walk into that, well, bar, looking like that without me."

I pull my arm away from him. "Listen Bobby. Follow me in the second rental," I pause but before he can speak I pipe in again. "No one is going to talk to me if they think I'm with you. You already said that you have hit wall after wall with the locals."

"So have you." He retorts.

"True. But the last time I went around that town, I was in all lawyer mode. I was all dressed up to be taken serious." I smile at him.

"Yeah, now you look like you need to be transported back to the nineteen-fifties. I'm telling you, Sookie, I don't like this. There is something really wrong with this town." He shakes his head at me.

"Well, then we need to find out what it is, don't you think?" I pull my purse up my arm and start on my gloves.

"I don't like this," he says. "I know Eric is not going to like that I let you anywhere near that town. He's going to have my head if he ever finds out I let you go anywhere alone."

"Well, it's a good thing you won't be telling him," I start for the door but stop when I see that Bobby isn't following me.

"Look," I say to him. "I know that this is risky but I don't see any other way around it. We need information and nothing is coming easy when it comes to this town. We need to know what Mrs. Fortenberry has on these town folks and we need proof that she's done what we say she's done. It's not going to fall into our laps and no matter what you may think Bobby Burnham, your suave ways haven't proven helpful."

"Sookie, if you give me a few more days, I know I'll come up with something. I've got a few calls into Reston and New Orleans about our girl. Something will turn up soon. You just need to patient."

I shake my head. "We don't have that much time," I say to him. "The judge wants everything we have by the end of the week and he's going to want proof, other than Holly's word about what happened."

"You don't know that, Sookie," he says and makes his way over to me. "He may take a look at what they found so far and see it as enough."

I shake my head again. "No, the DA says…"

"The DA is trying to make a name for himself, Sookie." Bobby yells. "He wants to make a run for the Governor's seat in a year. This is the perfect kind of case that would help him with that. He is having you do his dirty work."

"That may be," I say and grab the handle, "but I know that this will work. You can wait in the parking lot for me. I'll know within the first ten minutes if I'll get someone to talk to me. So are you coming with me?" I open the door.

"Like I got a choice, Erin Brockovich. You know if anything happens to you, it's my ass he's going to kick?" He holds the door for me so I can exit the room.

"The way I hear it, he's already going to kick your ass for putting your hands on me." I walk out the door.

"Yeah well," he says. "That will be a love tap compared to what I'll face if anything happens to you."

"Will you stop worrying," I say. "What's going to happen to me?"

He shakes his head. "Famous last words if I've ever heard them."

***0***

Twenty minutes later finds me walking through the doors of Merlotte's Bar and Grill. It seemed to be the only eatery in town and since it was close to lunch time, the parking lot was pretty full. I nodded to Bobby as I walked past his rental and headed in. The door bell ringing alerted everyone in the grill to my presence.

I stop at the door, allowing my eyes to adjust to the change in the lighting. When everything focuses, I see a lot of men sitting around at tables. The have all turned to look at me and you would have thought that I had just keyed every one of their cars by the way they are looking at me. I try to look somewhere that will not have me staring into the eyes of some random man but it's no use. The grill and bar are packed and every eye is on me.

"You lost hon?" A redheaded woman moves toward me and asks. She's dressed in a tight shirt and short, really short black shorts. Her hair is pulled up high on her head and her makeup is brighter and thicker than I've seen outside of a circus. Her name tag announces her name to be Arlene.

"Ah, no, I was just, well, I was hoping to get something to eat." I say to her.

"Listen, sweetie, you don't…" She leans to talk to me.

"What's the problem, Arlene?" I hear behind her.

Arlene turns to the side and I see a scruffy looking man coming up behind her. He has the same type of shirt on except his isn't showing off his assets the same way Arlene's is. With sandy brown hair and blue eyes, he looks like many men around. His looks and face put him at around thirty-five but I could be wrong. Hard living and a lot of smoking could make him look older than he really is.

"This nice little girl wanted to get something to eat. I was about to suggest she go over to Miss Ruth's tea shop." Arlene says.

"You new in town sweetie?" This man asks me.

I nod. "I'm just passing through. Came to visit a friend of mine and I can't seem to locate her. I was hoping to get something to eat and try again." I bat my eyes a few times and hold my hands together like I think a good and proper lady would do.

"Well, let's get her a table, Arlene." He says to her.

"But Sam…." She trails off looking around the room.

"Damnit, Arlene," he pushes past her. "If you can't do it then I will."

This Sam person grabs a menu and looks at me. "This way, miss." He smiles at me. Turning on his heels, he starts walking to the side of the grill to the one and only empty table in the place.

I follow him over as he puts the menu down on the table turning to smile at me. "I'll have one of the waitress come over and help you, Mrs…"

"Oh, it's Miss. But please, call me Susannah." I smile at him.

"Well, Miss Susannah, I'll have someone to help you in a moment. You want anything to drink?" He asks me.

"May I have some ice tea please?" I ask him.

"Sure thing," he says and walks away.

I sit down and proceed to look at the menu. It looks like typical grill fare. Nothing seems to standout but that really doesn't mean anything. I mean, there aren't many places to eat in Painted Post either. But the one place makes a damn good beef stew. It's one of their specialties and one of my favorites.

"Here's your tea," a woman says as she puts down. I look up to read her tag. There isn't one which I find odd. She gives me a small smile before taking out her pad and pencil. "You ready to order?" She asks.

"Um, I don't know. What's good?" I ask her.

"The burger special is what most of these guys get," she waves her hand around. "It's pretty good. Better than some fast food stuff. Comes with sweet fries and slaw on the side."

"Oh, well that sounds fine." I hand her the menu.

She takes it and leans in. "You are going to want to get out of here miss," she whispers. "This place ain't no place for you."

"What do you…."

"There any problem over here?" Sam asks as he walks over toward the table. The waitress blanches a little.

"No…no problem. I'll get that order in right now." The waitress turns on her heels and rushes off toward the bar where I think the kitchen would be.

"Now, Miss Susannah, what brings you to these parts?" Sam leans on the table and smiles at me.

"Well, like I said. I was in Louisiana and thought I would look up a friend of mine. I haven't seen her in some time but the address I had for her doesn't seem to be the right one," I shrug at him. "Maybe you can help me."

"Well, I know pretty much everyone in this town," he smiles again. "I'd be happy to help you track down your friend."

"Oh, that would be nice of you." I smile back at him. This is starting to look promising. Everyone seems to be getting back to their meals and the noise level seems to be what I would consider normal for this type of place.

"Well, sweets, what is her name?" He asks.

"Oh, Tara, Tara duRone. Her husband and her live in town I think. Unless she moved. You know where I can find her?" I ask him.

He pulls back from the table. "How did you say you know this girl?" He asks.

"Well, we met a long time ago," I nod at him. "We would write back and forth to one another and then we kind of lost touch after she married. I thought I would look her up since I was here, ya know?"

"What you do in this area, Miss?" He asks me.

"Well, that is sort of personal, mister…" I raise my eyebrow at him.

"You can call me Sam." He nods.

"Well, Sam, I'm here on some personal business for my family. I thought I would look her up. Do you know her?"

He shakes his head. "Sorry, can't help you. Let me see where your meal is and I'll get it out to you first thing."

He high tails it away from the table. Well that sure was a bust. I thought for sure I was making head ways with him. His face completely changed the moment he knew I was looking for Tara. He knows something and I'm not about to leave until I find out what it is.

I sit there twirling my straw as I think about how I'm going to get this man to talk to me again. He seems to be the cook, manager or something of this place. I just need to come up with the right angle to get him over here again.

A few minutes later the waitress comes back with my food. I smile at her but she doesn't even look at me as she places everything down and runs away back to the other side of the bar.

I decide that I'll see about getting her to talk to me too. This girl is scared and considering she told me I need to leave, I know she knows something. Maybe Bobby and I could try to talk to her after her shift. I take a bite of my burger and sit back as I chew. The waitress was right, it wasn't bad. Definitely better than I would get at the food court at the mall, but nothing to write home about.

I eat my burger and try not to look around the room. I can tell that some of the patrons have left already but many of them are still hanging around. I was thinking that people are here for lunch and need to get back to work. But from the level of noise in the room, It sounds like people are lingering.

I eat a few more bites of my burger and pull out my phone to text Bobby about what is going on. If I can't get this Sam to come back to me, I'm going to have to see if we can wait him out until after he gets off his shift as well. I try to start typing but the letters seem to be, I don't know, far away from me. I try to start typing again when I see someone in the corner of my sight. I look up to see Sam or I think it's Sam. He looks really blurry.

"You okay?" He asks me.

I try to answer him but the words, like the keys on my phone seem really far away.

"Let's get you into my office," he says. "You can lie down there."

I try to protest but before I know it, I'm being pulled up and somehow I'm moving though I can't tell where I'm moving to and by whom.

"She isn't going to like this," I hear as if it's in a tunnel.

"What the hell did you want me to do, Vern?" I hear someone else asks. "She's asking for Tara."

"Well, call that dude that acquired her. Maybe he knows who this woman is." Someone else says. "That will keep her out of it."

"Fine," I hear someone shout and moving away from me.

"What…what's going on?" I try to say but I don't know if it's coming out right or now.

"Just take it easy, little lady," one of the men say. "Hell, look at her Sam," he says. "She is choice. If she is as pure as she looks, the old lady will have her promised before you can shake a stick at her. I bet half the men in town will be bidding on her."

"Shut your mouth," I hear someone growl. "You know that new dude didn't want us talking about any of this. He knows what he's doing. He's one of those big wig lawyers."

"Don't mean he knows how to do things better than the old lady." I hear someone else say.

"You shut up. He knows what he's doing and he's going to make this better than we've had it before. Wait and see."

"Shut up all of you," I hear as someone comes into my field of vision. "She's almost out."

"Sa…Sam…what..what is…" I try to say.

"Now you don't worry about a thing, Miss Susannah. Everything will be alright." Sam says.

Before I can say another word, everything goes black.

The last thing I think about is Eric. Shit is he going to be pissed.

***0***

March 5th, Afghanistan.

EPOV

"Alright men," I shout out as we get close to the drop off. "It's time men, lock and load them."

I look around the room but something doesn't feel right. There is something not right but I can't put my finger on it. The caravan stops and we are ready to deploy. We've gone through this mission at least ten times. This is nothing but routine. There have been no reports of any activity in this area and all seems to be quiet. We are doing more of a policing than anything else. We need to keep our presence known in the area and this is how they want us to do it. If the brass wants us to walk the street acting like glorified cops, then so be it. But something is still needling at me.

"What's wrong, Sarge?" Stackhouse asks me.

I shake my head. "I don't know. Something seems off."

"You want us to hold up the men?" He asks.

I look out into the streets and then I shake my head. "No, I don't know what it is. I just have this feeling."

"Yeah, I used to get those feelings when I first got in country. I would get these weird feelings that something wasn't right. The best I could figure out was that I was worrying about home and what was going on there." He shrugs at me.

"Was there something going on at the ranch?" I ask him.

"No, it was just worrying about Sookie. It was the first time I was really away from her. Well since I left for boot camp. But at least there, I could call her all the time. It was just the feeling that I wasn't with her." Stackhouse shrugs again.

"You think that's what I'm feeling?" I ask him. Since I'd never had anyone that was that close to me before, this is all new to me.

"Yeah, don't worry about Sookie, man. She's a smart girl. Plus the guys aren't going to let her do anything that would get herself in trouble. I bet by the time we are back at base she's snug as a bug back on the ranch." He nods and smiles to me.

"Yeah, she basically said the same thing," I sigh. "Okay, I'm sure you're right. Time to get my head out of my ass and back in the game."

"Man, no reason to bash yourself for it. You care about her. It's expected you would worry about her. Just know that she's doing what we need her to do there so we can do what we need to do here."

I know he's right but it doesn't stop me from worrying about her. All I want to do is be with her, protecting and caring for her. I wasn't kidding about talking to her father. I want Sookie forever and that starts by doing things right. Corbett Stackhouse is a good and honorable man. I wouldn't dare think about planning a future for me and his daughter without speaking with him first. No matter what Sookie says, it may be only a few weeks but I know that she's going to be it for me. Hell, she is everything any man would ever want. She's the whole package and I'm a damn lucky son of a bitch that she wants to be with me.

"You are a lucky son of a bitch," Jason says.

I turn to look at him not realizing that I'd said any of that out loud.

"Yeah, your filter's off," he laughs. "But no worries. I've known for a while how you felt about my sister. All I gotta say is that if you treat her right, you will have no issues from me."

I nod at him. There really isn't anything else to say. Except that this needling feeling just won't go away.

Deciding that my head needs to be focused on my men, I turn back to them.

"We ready?" I ask.

"Locked and Loaded, Sarge!" I hear them respond.

"Okay, deploy." I say as the side door opens and we start to depart for our mission. I take a moment to say a quick prayer that my little girl is safe until I can see her beautiful face again.

Knowing that is all I can do, I have to trust in the guys with her and god to look after her. I need to protect my men.

Getting out, I start moving our men into their proper positions and prepare for the next week on the streets.

***0***

A/N Thank you for reading. Please let us know what you think…..

Much love, ILWE


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: ****I know, two updates for two different stories in two days...yes, I've been busy.**

**Here is another exciting chapter of Semper Fi. I will warn you, T suggested I run and hide after posting this... angst is at an all-time high for this story but I assure you that it will soon be over. **

**Thank you to T and TexasEx for your help on this one and all your encouragement. **

**Thank you to all our wonderful readers for following along on my crazy adventures. I love hearing from all of you.**

**So, without further ado, please follow me to the **

**next chapter of Semper Fi - Chapter 12 - Do or Die.**

**Much love, ILWE**

***0***

Chapter 12 - Do or Die

***0***

March 5th, 2008 Louisiana

***0***

SPOV

OH, OW, OW…. I try to open my eyes but they feel like they are weighted down. I move my hand to my head which is pounding. God damn there is the entire drum line from my high school marching band playing in my head, off key.

I finally get my eyes open to see that I'm in a room. Where that room is, I've no idea. I try to focus on the events that got me here and everything seems to be really fuzzy.

I remember leaving the hotel and then, well nothing. Shit, what happened to me?

I swing my feet off the bed that I'm lying on. I look at it. It's nice but weird in a way. It looks like something you would see in an I Love Lucy show or something around that time. Looking around the room, I see that everything looks like it has been blasted here from the past.

I push myself off the bed and look around the room. I move to the window to see that I'm on the second floor of what I would assume is a house, a very big house. There is a long driveway that leads to a fence and gate. The gate is black iron and is closed. There are several men walking around near the entrance and I'm certain that they are guards.

"Shit," I whisper, looking around me. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" I ask myself.

Before an answer can come to me, the door opens, I move slightly but since I've nowhere to go, I don't move much. In walks a girl that looks to be about my age. She is wearing a pink dress with black buttons. The dress is similar to the one I'm wearing. Her hair is a dark brown and is piled up on her head. Her makeup is simple and she has a sheen on her lips that reminds me of a gloss. Her shoes are black and her hands are folded in front of her. She smiles at me.

"Good Morning, Susannah," she says with a smile. "I'm glad you are awake."

"How do you know my name?" I ask her.

She smiles again. "Well, you told us, of course," she moves closer to me. "My name is Sarah," she motions to the door. Another woman walks in dressed similarly to Sarah. She has black hair and her dress is a light blue. She's carrying several bags with her and places them on the bed. "I am sure you want to change out of your dress and into something clean and less rumpled."

I look down at my dress. It is a little disheveled but I slept in it after all.

"We had thought of changing you out of your dress," she moves closer to me. "It is a lovely one. But the mistress wasn't in the estate last night and most of the men are not welcome up on the second floor. At least until we are commissioned to them." She smirks a little. The other woman whose name I hadn't caught shivers slightly.

"That will be all, Janice," Sarah growls at her. "Shouldn't you be getting ready? I believe you are due in Hot Shot within the hour."

Janice says nothing but scurries out of the room

"Hot Shot?" I ask Sarah.

"Oh, never you mind about that. I'm sure you will never have need to visit that place," she pauses. "Now, the bathroom is through that door," she points to one of the two doors on the far wall. There should be everything in these bags that you need. I'll be back to help you with your hair." She frowns at my locks.

"What…what's wrong with my hair?" I ask her.

"Well for a school girl or a child, nothing," she shrugs. "But for a woman that will be presenting herself to be screened for possible prospective, I would think you would want to look like a respectable woman with intent on marriage."

"I…I don't understand," I shake my head which brings the pain back full force. "I was looking for…" I begin again.

"Everything will be explained to you once you are presentable. Like I said, the Mistress is away on business but we have a new Procurer that has been filling in for her. He will meet with you after you have cleaned and dressed. He wasn't here last evening when you were brought in otherwise we could have done this then. We are sorry that you had to be kept waiting. But never you fear, he will test your readiness for the next step, assess what needs to be worked on and then arrangements will be made for not only your education but your presentation. By the look of you," she looks me up and down. "I think you came to us with more than enough skills but what do I know?" She turns to leave but stops when she reaches the door. "Your parents will be proud. I over heard someone say that the Procurer has been in contact with quite a few eligible men that would be willing to look at someone of your caliber. You will make a very good match, Susannah. I hope your temperament matches the wrapping," she looks me up and down again. "At least for your sake anyway."

She leaves without saying a word. Trying to walk without moving my head to much, I go over to the bed and remove the items out of the bags. Once emptied, I survey the items. There are two dresses, one white and black, the other yellow in a similar style to what I currently have on. The shoes and hose look comparable as well. The other contents are so not what I'm accustomed to wearing. The small bag contained my underwear and I use that word loosely. The contents make me blush and I haven't even put them on yet. The dress may be compliments of the nineteen fifties but the underwear looks strangely like something from the spring line of Agent Provocateur. I pick up a piece of it with one finger to examine it. I turn it this way and that trying to make heads or tails out of it. I don't think I would even know how to put something like this on. I shake my head again, this time slower so as not to increase the dull ache that is still humming in my head. Even when I was with Tray, I never wore things like this. I drop the offending item back onto bed and make my way to the bathroom suddenly not feeling all together right.

Once I'm done empting the meager contents of my stomach, I was my hands and decide to try to examine my surroundings a little more closely. Looking around I find it to look like any other bathroom you would find in a bed and breakfast type place. Not that I've been to many, mind you but I've seen them in movies. The items on the counter look like they would be used by any lady and the free standing bathtub next to a glass shower stall looks like it would be good for a comfortable soak. The thought of which would be inviting if it wasn't for the fact that I'm in a strange house and I'm not sure how I got here. Also, I'm scared out of my mind and I know that if I attempted to have a bath I would be thinking too many things right now to allow myself to relax. The most immediate question is how the hell did I get here? Last thing I remember was leaving the hotel with Bobby in tow. Did I get stopped on the way? Did I get pulled over? Did something happen and I passed out? Wait, no, if I passed out then I would have crashed. So how did I get from the hotel to this place when my destination was Merlottes? Why hasn't Bobby come looking for me? God, I hope he's alright. What if we were ambushed or something on our way into town? Shit, why can't I remember?

I suddenly remember the purse I had when leaving the hotel that contained my phone. I rush out of the bathroom, quicker than I'm sure I should be moving right now in search for it. There are not many places for such an item to be hiding but try as I might, I can't locate either the purse or my phone. Who am I kidding? I don't really think that my captors would be stupid enough to let me keep such items when they went to such lengths to get me here; presumably without my consent. I mean, I am a prisoner, aren't I? Looking again out the windows to the guards by the gate, I don't think they are going to let me just walk on out of here. Yeah, I would say that is a big fat no.

I sigh, thinking of what to do. I still need to clear my head some more and decide that I'll quickly get cleaned up and decide what to do then. Hoping that the water will help chase back the fuzzy feelings and more importantly the headache I'm currently afflicted with. But I can say this much. I will be damned if I'm going to put on one of these dresses. If they want to see me then they will see me in my dress and my underwear. Yeah the first person I wear something that remotely looks like those scrap pieces of cloth is so not going to be some Procurer or whatever he calls himself. No, if or when I decide to wear something this risqué, it will be my beautiful Sargent. That is, of course, if I ever get home and be there when he finally gets back to the states and I can see him, touch him and smell him. Yeah, I said smell. Because I can already guess what he's going to smell like; sandalwood and musk. I smile thinking of him when my thoughts again turn dark. Shaking my head and this time welcoming the pain because it's beating back my thoughts, I close my eyes. No, I can't think about anything dark right now. I need to stay positive and be in control of my emotions. I have to get out of here. I'll do just that as soon as I find out where I am and what they are doing.

Walking back into the bathroom, I start to wash up as best as I can and think about what I learned from mine and Sarah's conversation. Closing my eyes, I again will the fuzzy feelings to leave so that I can think.

Okay, I know I'm at some sort of estate. From looking out the window, I know that it's very large and has its own security. The grounds look big but that could only be my imagination. What else have I been told? Well I know that there is an overseer, the Mistress but she is currently is out of town. Could the Mistress be Mrs. Fortenberry? If that is the case then what is this place and why does every woman I've seen look like a really bad imitation of Donna Reed? Okay, well, I know that every woman in this town dresses this way. Could this be some kind of a cult? No, she said I was going to meet someone, this Procurer about my possible prospectives.

I think on that for a moment. Shaking my head harder this time I push aside the pain, willing the rest of the fuzzy feelings away to think clearer. This couldn't be some, I don't know, slave ring. Well, maybe not a slave ring that is referred to in some of those really raunchier books that Hadley has read. No, I think these folks are selling girls into marriages? But then again, I could have this all wrong. If women are being bought by their husbands, wouldn't that be considered some form of slavery?

I shake my head again. This time the pain isn't as bad and I'm starting to feel like my mind is my own once more. God, I wish I could remember what happened to me.

Quickly, I finish cleaning and redressing myself. Checking my reflection in the mirror, I deem myself presentable. Maybe not to the rest of the females in attendance here but if luck is anywhere on my side, I won't be having long conversations or tea in the parlor with anyone, least of all this Procurer.

Leaving the bathroom, I grab my shoes and head for the door. Turning the nob, I open it as quietly as I can. This is a good sign. At least I'm not locked in. I peek out first to make sure the coast is clear and head out. Not knowing where to go, I start off going right and hope that I find something that will take me down to what I hope is the first floor and a way out of this place. I turn a corner and I hear the murmur of voices coming from a closed room up ahead so I decide to start there first. I need to find out where I am so I can figure out a way out.

Making my way down the hall, I hear someone coming. Nervous, I check the next room to find it open and slide in. When I turn around I gasp at what I see.

"Dear Lord in heaven what level of hell is this?" I ask but know that no one is going to answer me.

***0***

Bobby's POV

I gave up the pretense of playing it cool about seven hours ago and continue to pace by the parked cars. If I look down, I wouldn't be surprised to see a trench showing my movements. Shit, I knew this whole fucking thing was a bad idea. I knew it when she was discussing it. I knew it when we discussed it with the DA and Sid-Matt. Hell, I knew it when we were driving to Bon Temps. But we were fresh out of ideas and there was no way that little girl was going to leave this state without proof of what Maxine Fortenberry and this whole fucking town were into. I stop for a moment, raking my hands through my hair. I swear to all that is holy that if anything happens to Sookie I don't know what I'm going to do. Well, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to stay as far away from Eric Northman's wrath as I can. This is really fifty shades of all kinds of fucked up.

I begin my pacing again thinking of all the things I should have done differently starting with putting my foot down and not letting Sookie put herself in danger like she did. Hell, she promised Eric and her brother that she wouldn't do anything reckless and lookie here, you can't get much more reckless than walking into the lion's den looking like what could be comparable to a fucking steak dinner. Yeah, that's not fucking reckless at all.

I look up to see a man coming toward me and I stop with my current course. When he gets closer, I ask him the same fucking question I've been asking since we pulled up alongside this road. "Can we go in yet?" I ask him looking past him to the road that will lead us to Sookie.

He shakes his head. "Not yet."

I huff. "What the fuck are we waiting on?"

"Just waiting on the last warrant and we will be set." He responds.

"Fuck that. You saw with your own fucking eyes that they took my colleague out of that bar unconscious. Why the hell didn't you nab them then?" I ask him.

"Listen," he says. "I know you are real worried about your friend. I know this is hard but we need to shut this down legally. My unit and I have been on this case for about three years. This is the first break we've had and we aren't going to blow it. That plantation," he points over his shoulder, "has been the base operation for one of the biggest human trafficking rings this side of the Rockies. We have never been able to get in there and any woman that comes out that we've been allowed to talk to say the same thing. That this fucking place is some sort of finishing school and has been designed to assist them in finding nice, proper husbands. I'm telling you, if we mess this up, we can kiss our chances goodbye and God knows what will happen next." He turns to walk away.

I growl at the agent's retreating form.

I turn and continue my pacing. I can't believe this fucked up mess we are in. Not five minutes after Sookie went into the bar, I got a call from the DA's office. In a nutshell, he told me that the Feds had contacted him about the case and wanted to know what we'd found out. I guess Frank played hardball for some time but the Feds had a little more clout. They said that they had men already in position in Bon Temps and would be able to help us if we helped them. That is when he told this Agent Foster that Sookie and I were up here and what or plan was. They had deployed before even hanging up with him.

I wanted to walk in and haul Sookie out of there but Frank said that if she was in trouble, she'd let me know. Yeah, again, famous fucking last words. Two hours later, the Feds pulled up and we watched as four men carried Sookie out of the back of the bar and put her in an SUV. I wanted to rush the fucking car but Agent Foster wouldn't hear of it. I almost decked the guy but decided that my chances weren't very good at getting past Foster and all his men in time to stop the SUV from taking off. Foster convinced me to work with them and they would get Sookie back for me.

That was almost fifteen hours ago and still we haven't made a move on the fucking complex.

I start my pacing again. A few minutes later, my phone rings.

"Yeah?" I ask the caller.

"Any word?" Clancy asks me.

"Fuck why do the Feds take so much fucking time to do anything? I mean anything could be happening to Sookie in there, man. I am going out of my mind. If something happens to her so help me God…."

"Bobby, calm down. I know you are really worried about her but trust the Feds, okay? They know what they are doing, man. They have been working this case for some time. I was assured that the women that go into that estate aren't being harmed," He says to me. "Sookie just got there. For all we know she's still passed out."

"Fuck that! These fucking Feds don't know shit. They've got no idea what is going on behind that gate and who the fuck are they going to get a straight answer out of, huh? I swear every fucking person in this town is bat shit crazy and doesn't know the truth from a lie. But' I'll tell you this. If they don't give me something soon, I'm going in there and getting her out." I run my fingers through my hair once more. At this rate, I'll be bald in three months. Fuck my life.

"How are you going to do get into that place? The way I hear it, the place is locked up tight. There is no way you would survive."

"Listen to me, Bobby," Clancy says. "These aren't some backwoods cops or locals you can bully around and get your way with. These are the Feds. Listen to them or you will end up somewhere you don't want to be."

"Yeah, well if something happens to that girl, I'm in a world of shit anyway. I should have never let her do this, Clancy." I huff.

"We all thought it was a good idea. We had no idea of the extent of the situation." He replies.

I don't tell him what I'm really thinking. I know damn well that the DA knew what was going on. He fucking had too. As soon as the town's name came up in any court documents, he would have been contacted. I know fucking all too well that asshole has been using all of us to break this case before the Feds. He wanted the name and the glory. It was only when he was backed into a corner did he relent to them. Now we are all sitting here waiting for them to get their act together and get this shit over with.

"Did you contact her father?" I ask him.

"Yeah," he sighs. "If you think Northman is going to be pissed, you haven't spoken to Mr. Corbett Stackhouse yet. That man is madder than I don't know what. He should be in Shreveport by tonight. Jade and I are heading there as well. Sid-Matt is working with the judge here and is waiting for information about Sookie before he calls him."

"Old lady Fortenberry there too?" I ask.

"Yeah, but I don't know for how long. The Feds said that as soon as they raid the estate they will come and get her. I don't what she knows yet. If those men had called her, I think she would have high-tailed it out of here to deal with her new acquisitions", he replies.

I groan. "Yeah but the Feds said something about a new player. His family owns the estate. Got anything on that?"

"Yeah, but you aren't going to like it." He says softly.

"Just fucking tell me." I say to him.

"Dude, the Estate is in a trust and has been used by Mrs. Fortenberry for the last forty years. Before that, her mother and grandmother ran the place. On the books, it's a finishing school for young women." He says.

"I know all that. Who owns the Estate?" I ask him.

"The same people who have owned it for the last two hundred years, The Comptons." He says.

I pause for a moment. "How the FUCK didn't we know this? How the flying fuck did we miss something this big?" I ask him.

"Dude, the Comptons, Brigants and the Stackhouses lived in the area like a century ago or something, before the three families moved out west. It was thought that the families all sold their land. The Compton family has owned the property here since then. Why no one looked into it is a mystery. But the Compton family has this place under an assumed name in a trust. It took a while to track down the owner. It has been well hidden in the past fifty years. We aren't sure if Bill is the player they are talking about or not. All we know is that he has gone MIA and no one is talking, not even his father. Once the Feds had a name, they deployed an agent to talk to the old man but they haven't told us what they found yet."

"Fucking son of a bitch!" I yell at him. "That asshat has been here all this time running interference for Old Lady Fortenberry to protect his family's involvement!"

I look up to see Foster coming toward me.

"I gotta go," I say to him. "Feds are coming over. I'll call you as soon as I know something."

I hang up before he can say anything else.

"What?" I ask him.

"Warrants are in. We are using your friend's abduction as a caveat to get in. We are waiting for the second team to be in position at the back of the property and the SUV to get here to ram the gate. We will be going in within the hour." He says to me.

"Good," I say and start walking to where the rest of the men are assembled.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asks me.

"I'm going in with you all." I reply.

"No man," he shakes his head. "I can't authorize that."

"Look," I turn and look in the eyes. "I'm going in with or without your permission. Susannah Stackhouse is my responsibility and I'm not going to sit out here with my thumb up my ass while you run in, guns blazing to get your man. You have your priorities and I have mine. I could give two shits if you get what you need to make your case. All I care about is getting that woman out of there." I point to the estate.

He looks at me for a long moment and then sighs. "Fine," he goes to walk past me. "We need to get you a flak jacket just in case. You may have your priorities but mine is to have everyone come out of there in one piece, Mr. Burnham. I understand your concern but…."

"But nothing, Agent," I move a little closer to him. "Get me whatever clearance you need, tell me a million times that I should stay back. Get me whatever fucking piece of Kevlar that will make you happy but with our without your permission, I'm going in there and I'm getting Sookie out." Agent Foster gives me a long look before moving toward the others with me right behind him.

This is going to be the longest hour of my fucking life.

***0***

SPOV

I run over to the bed and look at the girl lying there. She is battered and bruised with her hands tied above her head and her legs shackled to one of the end posts.

"Honey," I say to her softly. I'm not sure if she's awake or not but her breathing is shallow.

She opens her eyes to look at me. She looks familiar but I can't remember from where.

"Honey, what's your name?" I ask her as I try to move her hair away from her face.

"You…you need…need to get out of here," she says hoarsely. "If they find you in here, they'll do this to you too."

I look up at her tied arms. It is a good knot, but I've seen better. Living on a ranch, you learn these things. I quickly start to make headway on them when she speaks again.

"I…I told you…you needed to get away from here. Why didn't you listen?" She says and I can tell that she's holding back the tears.

I finish with the knots and help her lower her arms. She winces in pain.

"When did you tell me that?" I ask her.

She goes to move and winces again. I'm sure that the bruises on her face aren't the only ones she has.

"When I was waiting on you at the bar," she says. I look at her and she sighs. "Damn, they drugged you, didn't they?" She asks.

I shrug. "I don't know but that would explain why I don't remember anything," I say looking around. "Where is the key for those?" I point to the shackles on her ankles.

"Over on the dresser," she says softly. "But you shouldn't do this," she sighs. "When they come back, we will both be in trouble."

"When they come back, we'll be gone. Now are you going to tell me your name?" I ask turning when I find the key and returning to her.

"Daphne, my name is Daphne Landry," she says as I unlatch the shackle and help her to sit up. She winces several more times.

"What happened to you?" I ask her as I sit next to her trying to help her as best as I can.

"They, they heard me warning you. This was to…to remind me to keep my mouth shut," She whispers and looks around. "There is no way out of here. Several of the girls have tried but…" she looks down and shakes her head.

"What?" I ask her.

"She sighs. They are either beaten like me or taken away. That woman is one evil bitch," she says with tears in her eyes. "And the new guy is no better. He, he likes to test the merchandise." She shivers. "I wish I never heard of this god forsaken place."

"What are you doing here?" I ask her. "What did they…." I trail off.

"I showed up in town about four months ago. I was looking for a place to land, ya know?" She looks up at me. "I didn't know what it was like here and before I knew it…."

"What did they do to you?" I ask her.

"I've had it better than some. At least they didn't send me to Hot Shot." She shivers again and winces from the movement. "I've heard what they do there, what the girls go through down there. Susannah, it's inhuman. I can't even talk about it, it's so horrible," she sighs. "You really need to get yourself out of here while you got the chance. You can't do anything for me, you know. No matter where I go, they'll find me. But for you, it's different. If they catch you here, God knows what he'll do to you or to me. Thank you for unchaining me but you need figure out a way to get out of this town and never look back."

I stand up and help her to her feet. She's in really short shorts and a t-shirt. Her feet are bare but a cursory look around doesn't reveal any shoes. Well, I didn't put mine on so I guess we are a pair, aren't we?

"I'm not leaving here without you. Now come on," I say to her. "We need to find a way out. You got any suggestions?"

She shakes her head. "The front door is the only way out. There is an alarm on the back doors and on the one out to the patio on the side. We are only allowed out there if we are with the Mistress or a prospective. I was taken almost immediately so I don't know how others get out. I haven't been back here for a while though."

I wrap my arm around her waist and help her to put her arm around my shoulders. Holding her up, I start to walk to the bedroom door.

"What do you mean, taken?" I ask her.

"Sam, Sam Merlotte took me almost from the time I got here. He's the one that actually brought me to this godforsaken place," she looks around as if she's seeing something for the first time and then closes his eyes. "I was at Merlottes asking for a job. The next thing I know, I wake up here and am told that I have to learn to be a proper wife and companion. But after the doctor discovered I wasn't, well," she sighs. "I was deemed unfit for a union. I was going to be sent out to Hot Shot when Sam said he would take me. I wasn't fit for anything else and not worth much for a union but Sam bought me anyway. It was okay for a while but then the others got on him and well," she shrugged. "He isn't a bad man, he just, well, he's trying to make the most out of a bad situation."

I reach the door and look at her. "Do I even want to know?" I ask.

She sighs. "Probably not," is all she gives for an answer.

Deciding I'm not sure I want to hear anymore, I listen at the door for any signs of people. When I don't hear anything, I slowly open the door like I did with the last one.

At the last minute, I hear footsteps and move us back and close the door all but a crack.

"What do you mean she's not there?" I hear a man ask.

"I'm telling you that she's not in her room," I hear a woman answer. It sounds like Sarah. Shit she must have come to check on me and to do my hair.

"She couldn't have gone far," the man growls. I know that voice. Realization dawns on me and I stifle a gasp.

"Why didn't you lock the door?" He asks her.

"I didn't think it was necessary," Sarah proclaims. "The girls are usually too out of it to think clearly for the first few days after they are drugged. We've never had to lock a door before."

I hear a thwack and know if for what it is; skin hitting skin. Sarah whimpers but doesn't cry out.

"How many times do I have to tell you bitches that we are doing things differently now? While the Mistress is away, you answer to me. Now if this new little girl is as foggy as you seem to think, she couldn't have gotten far. Let the guards know that we have a roaming guest and find her before she hurts herself. I'll be in with my ward. She is still not understanding her new position. I'm waiting for that Judge in Shreveport to send over the papers I need. Let me know when they get here. I need to resolve that farce of a marriage before the end of the week. Tara and I need to be back in Montana before the end of the month and I will not be able to do anything legally until the paperwork comes in."

"She should never have married him in the first place. It wasn't her choice to make." Sarah says.

"I am well aware of that, Sarah, thank you. I'm working to rectify that situation. She has already screwed up all of the Mistress' plans. Now she will pay." I hear him walk away and grimace.

"You know him?" Daphne asks.

I nod and wait until I hear heels on the stairs before I open the door. "We need to get out of here." I say to her.

"But I told you…" Daphne says but I don't let her finish.

"If the front door is the only way out then I need to get us to a phone." I say to her. "I've got friends, Daphne. They can help us but I need to let them know where we are."

I walk with Daphne and with her directions we head to the back staircase that leads down to the kitchen. I listen closely but can't tell if there is anyone in the area. We start walking down slowly since every step is taking Daphne considerable amount of effort and is causing her equal amount of pain. We make it down after what seems like forever and gratefully find it empty.

"Okay, now where?" I ask her.

"The only phone that works is in the main study. It's off the front entrance on the right." She says. "I've seen the Mistress make phone calls from there but nowhere else."

I nod and make my way to the door. Again I wait to hear if anyone is close and it seems that the entire household is currently occupied in other locations. Thank the Lord for small miracles is all I have to say.

"Most of the girls are in training now," she says softly. "They take place all over but the most of the training takes place in the front room for the proper stuff and in the bedrooms for the well, not so proper stuff." She says softly.

Deciding that I need to focus on getting us to the main study and not dwelling on what is being taught in the bedrooms, I push through the swinging door to what looks like a very large dining room. My first initial thought is that Gran would love the furnishings and then blast myself for thinking like that. This place is evil and is getting more so with everything I learn. I need to get us to a phone and out of here.

It takes what feels like another lifetime to make it across the dining room and out into the hall. I listen closely again and we have to stop every third step to avoid any further injury to my companion. But as she said, it appears that people are otherwise occupied. Even with what I assume is a search for me going on, no one seems to be in the area. Even though I find it really weird but again, I'm not going to question a gift. We need all the help we can get right about now.

"They are probably looking through the rest of the rooms upstairs," Daphne says in a whisper. "They wouldn't have thought you could make it down the stairs. You were really out of it when they took you to Sam's office yesterday. I'm sure they think you are just wandering around up there."

"How many bedrooms are up there?" I ask her.

She looks up. "I don't know," she says softly, "at least ten on the second floor and another five or six on the third floor. But they are a lot smaller and are for well, they are for less suitable girls." She says and looks down. I guess I know where they put Daphne before she was taken.

We continue down the hall. I hear footsteps and get us both into a small closet under the stairs before they get louder. I hear someone talking but can't make it out. When I'm sure that they are gone, I go to exit. Daphne pulls away from me. I look at her curiously even though I know she can't see me.

"You can't make it pulling me along. Leave me here and come back for me. No one is looking for me and won't be until tomorrow. They will think I'm recovering and I should be thankful they didn't throw me somewhere cold and dark. Get to the study and try to make your phone call. Then find someplace to hide until your help comes. Either way, they are looking for you, not me. You need to think about your safety now." She leans back.

I shake my head but I'm sure she can't see it in the dark. "I won't leave you, Daphne."

"You got me out of the shackles and have done more for me than anyone has in a long time. Get yourself safe and then come back for me, come back for all of us." She says.

She's right. I am more likely to get caught bringing her along but I don't feel right leaving her here.

"I'll be fine, Susannah. Just get yourself out of here. You don't belong here." She says.

"Neither do you, Daphne," I sigh. "I will be back as fast as I can."

I open the door slightly to see if anyone is in the hall. Moving out quickly, I shut the door tight, feeling a tightness in my stomach. I hate leaving her here, but she's right. I need to get us help and she's slowing me down. At least she's out of that room and free for now from anything else they would do to her.

I move quicker down the hall and turn into what seems to be the front hall. I see several doors on the left of the staircase and only two on the right. I take my chances and move to the first of the doors. It's open and when I look in, it appears to be a sitting room. That isn't what I would deem a study so I move to the first door. I hear someone coming so I open the door quickly and slip in before closing it behind me. I turn, hoping that I'm alone and see that God is answering prayers today when the room is deserted and looks more like a home office. I look around quickly to see if there is any other way into the room and make my way over to the desk. Seated next to a laptop computer is a phone. But what surprises me is that my purse is also sitting on the desk. I open it to see that it still includes my phone, money and lipstick. I'd left my wallet and ID back at the hotel, just in case. Now I'm very glad that I did. If I hadn't, Bill would have known who I was and I may not even be walking around right now.

I shiver when I think of how his voice sounded. I knew that Bill was an ugly person but I never, in my wildest dreams thought that he would be wrapped up in something like this. How long has he been involved with this racket? How did he get involved with all of this?

Deciding that these questions are better dealt with at another time, I pull my cell phone out to see that the battery has gone dead. Fucking typical, I tell ya. Well, I guess it would be too much to ask for it to be that easy. Looking at the phone I take a deep breath and figure this is our one and only shot. I pick up the phone on the desk and prepare to dial. Just as I'm about to hit the first number, I hear shouting from every direction. I have no idea what they are saying but no that either they found out that Daphne is missing from her room as well or something else is going on.

I quickly start to dial as I hear footsteps everywhere. I need to get help and fast. Doors are slamming, people are screaming and men are shouting. As I hit the last number the door to the study flies open and standing in front of me is the horrid excuse of a man himself. He looks at me with shock and then I see him connecting the dots. His shock morphs into a sly smile that instantly makes my blood run cold.

"Well, hello Susannah," he growls at me and walks into the room.

Well shit.

***0***

Bobby's POV

The SUV that we had been waiting for showed up ten minutes after Foster announced that we were going in. We all pile into the five government issued passenger vans and make our way to the front gate. The SUV doesn't stop when it sees the guards and before I know it, the gate is flown to the side and there are men shooting at us. Thank God, I jumped into one of the Feds' vehicles; bullet proof. Guess that was tax money well spent.

We skid to a halt at the front doors which have also been swung open. The Feds' are yelling as well as the men coming out of the building. I don't take the time to get a good look at the place but know it's huge. It's going to take me forever to find Sookie in this place. I know she's in here. The place has been under constant surveillance and no one has left since the SUV carry Sookie arrived late yesterday. Several other vehicles have come in but none have left.

"Federal Agents," I hear Foster yell. "Put down your weapons!"

The men coming out are screaming for us to leave and are shooting but they don't seem to want to hit us. The Feds rush into the house from all directions. Alarms are going off, people are screaming, it's utter chaos.

I head in and start looking around. I've no idea where I should go to look for her. Then I hear a voice I recognize.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" I hear her scream.

I turn to see Compton at a door holding Sookie close to him. In his hand looks like a gun, but it's a funny looking gun.

"You brought these men here," he yells at her. "I should have known that you would get in the way. You should have stayed home where you belong!" He yells.

Several of the men turn and point their weapons in her direction and I follow suit.

"Let her go, Mr. Compton," one of the agents says. "It's over, you are under arrest for false imprisonment, abduction, slave trade and conspiracy to transport humans over state lines. You have the right to remain…"

Before the Fed can get the rest of it out, Compton starts to laugh. "You have no fucking clue who you are dealing with. No judge for a hundred miles is going to convict me. The Fortenberry family has had their hands in assisting every major family in these parts for the last hundred years. You have no proof that we are doing anything illegal."

"Let the girl go, Mr. Compton." Foster says again. "You don't want to make this harder on yourself."

He shakes his head. "NO!" He screams. "I caught her touching my personal items. I have the right to protect myself against thievery in my own home."

"Then you admit this place is your property?" I hear Foster ask.

"That is neither here nor there, now you gentlemen will have to leave. You have no grounds to be here. I assure you, I'm very clear on the law. You have entered this premises without proper authority. Now leave before I press charges." He holds Sookie closer. She looks around and when she sees me, her eyes go wide. Bill is holding her really close but I know what she's thinking. Before I can tell her not to, she steps back and flips him over her left shoulder. I hear two pops before he hits the floor. Every Fed who is not covering another one of these, well guards rushes toward Bill. I rush toward Sookie.

She goes to say something but before she can, her eyes roll back and her body goes limp. I catch her right before she hits the ground.

I look over to the men holding Compton down. "What the Fuck was in that gun he was holding?"

One of them pulled the gun away from him as he screams to be let loose. Yeah, not fucking likely asshole. He is so fucking lucky that the Feds are here because right now a bullet in his forehead will be looking real nice right about now.

"Looks like a tranquilizer gun," one of the Feds says.

"Shit!" I move to allow Sookie to lie on the ground. "We need to get her to the hospital, NOW!" I look around for Foster. When he catches my eye, he starts screaming something to someone. All I care about right now is getting some god damn help in here.

Men are moving around us and people are still screaming but I don't hear a fucking word. I cradle the woman in front of me in my arms and rock her gently. "You are going to be okay, Sookie," I say softly. "You have to be."

I look up to see Foster coming toward me. "Ambulance is on the way. We've got about half a dozen girls who need assistance."

Out of the corner of my eye I see a small woman shuffling toward us with the help of another girl.

"Susannah," she says softly with tears in her eyes. She looks to me. "Is she…."

I shake my head. "They shot her up with something, I don't know what."

"She….she's going to be okay, right?" She looks from me to the woman helping her. "She has to be. She…she saved me. She said she would and she did. She…she saved us all."

One of the other men, move slowly to the women and help them along to the door. I look down at Sookie and sigh. "He's going to kick both our asses, you know. You need to be alright or he'll swim back to kill me, hon. You need to be alright."

Noises around me alert me that the paramedics have arrived. The Feds are issuing that no person is brought to a local hospital and it's decided to move everyone over the state line to Texas. Several of the girls will need to be air lifted due to their injuries and since we don't know what Sookie was shot up with and no one seems to be talking, she's one of them. I wait with her until she's in the helicopter and then climb in with her. There is some stink about me going but one look to Foster calms the scene. There is no way I'm leaving her side until I know she's alright. I can't make any phone calls in flight but Foster tells me he'll get in touch with the DA. I nod and allow the door to close.

I look at the paramedic who is caring for Sookie.

"Her heart rate is a little fast and her breathing is stressed. We won't know what they gave her until we get to the hospital. You family?" He asks me.

I nod. "She's about as close as I have," I say softly. "The only man I've ever called family made me promise to look out for her." I clear my throat.

"We will be at the hospital in ten minutes sir," he says to me. "The doctors will be able to do more than me."

I nod and grab hold of Sookie's hand. "Hold on, brave girl," I say to her. "Just hold on."

***0***


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: My Beta team worked lighting fast on this one just so you could have some relief from the angst of the last chapter. I have to tell you that my outline for this chapter was completely different and had a more stressful ending. But, during the writing, my muse took it another way. I hope you are all happy with it and I eagerly await your comments.

As always, thank you so much for reading.

Much Love,

ILWE

***0***

Semper Fi chapter 13 - Pay the Price

***0***

March 19th Montana

***0***

SPOV

_Beep….Beep….Beep….Beep_

God, what is that annoying sound?

_Beep….Beep….Beep….Beep_

I swear if Jason messed with my alarm clock again, I'm going to find a way to steal his clothes the next time he takes Margaret Saint Mary skinning dipping in the creek.

"I think she's coming around," I hear a woman's voice. "Go see if you find the doctor, Corbett."

Daddy, what is Daddy doing in my room.

I try to open my eyes and they are as heavy as…as when I tried to open them in that awful house.

All the memories come to me in a rush, like the tide to the shore. I gasp and try to open my eyes again.

"Sookie, honey can you hear me?" The woman asks.

"Gran?" I ask. My throat feels scratchy and my voice sounds hoarse.

"Yes, honey," I feel a warm hand on my face. "Try not to talk too much. They only took the feeding tube out this morning. The doctor said that your throat would be sore for some time."

Feeding tube, doctors, what's going on?

"Can you open your eyes for me, sweetheart? I've missed those beautiful blue eyes." She says softly.

I try again, this time with determination. I need to see Gran. I feel like my world is spinning and need something to grab on to. The one thought that keeps floating through my head is Eric and if he's okay. I open my eyes to see Gran's beautiful tired face in my line of sight.

"There you are, honey," she smiles and I can see the start of tears in her eyes. "God Sookie, we almost lost you. Promise me you'll never scare me like that again."

Before I can question her further on what is going on, the door opens. I look over Gran's shoulder to see Daddy come in followed by Mitch and Holly. The last person is a man with dark black hair and a white coat. I can only assume that it's the doctor.

Gran pulls away and Daddy quickly takes her place at my side. He wraps me in a hug that is completely encompassing and thoroughly Daddy.

"Baby girl, you almost scared me to death. You can't do that to your old man, ya hear?" He chokes out. He pulls back and I see the same tears in his eyes that were in Gran's.

I shake my head. "I…I don't know what happened." I say to him. "Why am I …where am I?" I ask him.

"You are in the University Hospital in Billings, Ms. Stackhouse," the man in the white coat says. Daddy pulls away slightly but doesn't let go of my hand. "What is the last thing you remember?"

I look around the room Holly is being held by Mitch who is crying full out. Mitch looks as he ever does, but I can see worry in his eyes. Gran is seated next to the bed and has her hand on my shoulder. Daddy is looking at me expectantly. I've seen that look before. It's the one he's given Jason and I countless times when we've done something we shouldn't and he's expecting us to come clean.

"I…I was…" I take a deep breath.

"Take your time, Ms. Stackhouse." The man in the white coat says.

"Who…who are you?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and laughs a bit. "I am sorry," he sighs. "This all must be strange to you. I'm Doctor Murphy. I've been attending to you for the last week."

"Last week?" I ask and turn back to my family. "I've been here a week?"

"Well yes," Doctor Murphy says. "It took them a week at the hospital in Dallas to stabilize you. Then your father insisted that you be transferred here. We had hoped that you would have regained consciousness within a day or two upon your arrival. But your body needed the rest."

Two weeks. I'd been out of it for two weeks. Okay why? Then a thought strikes me.

"Daddy, Jason, Eric…what…"

He tugs on my hand and squeezed gently. "Calm down, darling. There hasn't been any word from any of them. All we know is that JB is being sent home as soon as they arrive back to base."

I'm not sure if the thought of them not checking in is comforting or more concerning.

"We can get to all of that," the doctor says, "as soon as I finish my assessment of Ms. Stackhouse's condition," he turns his attention back to me. "Now, Miss…"

"Sookie," I croak out. "Please, call me Sookie."

"Very well, Sookie," the doctor smiles at me. "Now what do you remember."

"I…I remember," I stop for a moment thinking about the last memories I have.

I told them about being held by Bill at gun point and moving toward the door of the study in the big house. I told him about seeing all the men in black jackets with guns and everyone screaming. I remembered seeing Bobby and knowing what I had to do.

"I…I flipped Bill and then…then everything gets fuzzy," I turn to my father. "Daddy, what happened to me?"

"That son of bitch, shot you up with some nasty stuff, Sookie," Daddy shakes his head. "It wasn't a normal gun but a tranquilizer gun."

I try to nod my head but it still feels fuzzy. Like when I woke up in that house. Of course, now I realize what it was. We have several of them on the ranch for the horses.

"Did he…I mean…." I can't find the words.

"The son of bitch shot you twice. But it wasn't a tranquilizer. At least not all of it was a tranquilizer." Daddy growls.

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Maybe we should let Sookie rest and then she can hear the rest of it." Gran says.

"No," I say and look around the room again. "I want to know what happened. Please, what happened? Is Bobby alright? I remember seeing him. And there was a girl, Daphne, she was really hurt and…."

"The girl is recovering," Daddy says. "Bobby is fine too." He says the last with a little growl in his voice.

"Please," I look at Daddy and then to the doctor. "I want to know what happened. You say I've been asleep for two weeks and I was shot with something. I need to know the rest." I try to sit up a little. Both Gran and Daddy come to my aid. Soon, I'm sitting up and waiting for someone to start.

The doctor looks at my father and then back to me. "I will leave you with your family but if she starts to get upset, come and find me and we will give her something. She still has a long way to go until she's fully recovered."

He goes to the door but stops before opening it. "I will need to examine her soon."

"Thank you doctor," Daddy says. "Just give us a few moments with her."

He nods and exits the room.

I turn to Daddy who has not turned back at me yet. "What made you think going into that town alone was a good idea, Susannah Stackhouse?" He growls out before turning to look at me. His tears are still evident in his eyes but they also show anger now. Shit, Daddy's pissed.

"Corbett this is not the time," Gran says.

"Answer me Susannah," Daddy says without acknowledging Gran.

"I…we needed some information and I, well we, we thought that it would be the best way to do it." I say softly. "Clancy and the DA thought that it would help and I took Bobby with me."

"You didn't tell Mitch or Tray," he says in response. "Why didn't you get their input? Oh, I bet I know. Because neither one of them would have let you go into that place alone. They would have hogtied you and put you on the first plane home if they knew what you were up to."

"I took Bobby with me. I was only going to ask a few questions and see…" I try to say again.

"Yeah, Clancy said he trusted this Bobby, but I don't know him from a hole in the wall. First I hear that he put his hands on you and then he steers you into trouble."

"None of this was Bobby's fault. He tried to talk me out of it. Don't put this on him. This is my own mess." I say and try to cross my arms over my chest. But the tubes hanging out of my arm prevent me from doing so.

"This is not getting us anywhere," Gran says. "I'm sure Sookie knows that this wasn't her best idea after all that's happened."

"I kind of figured that out when I woke up after being drugged." I mumble.

"Yeah, and let me tell you," Daddy says. "That idiot in charge, Agent Foster better hope I don't bring down the heavens on his head for standing around and watching my baby girl being abducted. That man has a lot to answer too."

"I, what…whose Agent Foster?" I ask the room.

"Corbett, she doesn't know any of this. You need to tell her." Mitch says. "All Sookie knows is that she was there and now she's here. You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me what I should do when it comes to my daughter," Daddy snaps. "I trusted you to take care of her and look what happened?"

"Okay, that's it." Gran says. "Mitch, why don't you take Holly down for some coffee. Corbett why don't you…"

"Do not tell me to leave this room, Mom. I'm not about to let her out of my sight. If I had just gone with her…" He shakes his head.

"Daddy," I say softly trying to get his attention. He coughs and I know it's trying to hide a sniffle. "This isn't Tray, Mitch or Bobby's fault. It was my decision to try to get information. It was my plan to walk into that Grill. If I thought for one moment I would be hurt, I would never have gone. I knew how stupid it was when I woke up and how naive I was. But Daddy, please, just tell me what happened."

He shakes his head again before turning to me. "The, the FBI has been trying to bust that whole thing up for a while now. The DA knew it too. But I guess he wasn't playing nice with the agent in charge. It was a power game and neither one was willing to give into the other."

I nod. "Bobby said something about the DA trying to make a name for himself."

"Yeah, believe me, he is not off my shit list either," Daddy growls. "Anyway, when the FBI found out that you were in the town, they came on up. They met up with Bobby just as you were being taken out the back door. According to Bobby, he wanted to rush them then, but the Agent wouldn't let him. They thought with you in the compound, they could get the warrants they needed," he pauses before continuing. "I guess by the time that they started in, you were in the study. That girl, Daphne said that you helped her and got her downstairs. That was really brave of you," he says softly and I can see the lines in his face softening.

"The FBI came in with guns blazing. I guess Bill or someone else had triggered an alarm. They were going to eliminate the girls in the house. They shot two of the girls before the FBI could stop it. That is what Bill was coming to the study for." He looks at me.

"I don't understand. You said it wasn't a gun." I say to him.

"No, but it was loaded with something else. Evidently, it was used on girls that wouldn't be, well, wouldn't be leaving the house." He says.

He pauses for a moment for me to feel the full weight of his words. When I do, I can feel my eyes widen.

"He…He was going to kill me?" I ask.

Daddy nods. "They knew that you were shot up with some sort of poison but it took them three days to analyze the concoction that they were using. They thought about inducing a medical coma but then they were afraid the drugs would intensify your condition. When they asked Bill about what he shot you up with, he just laughed and wouldn't say a word. They didn't get a chance to ask him again, though."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"When he found out how much the FBI had on the slave ring and what they could possibly pin on him, he committed suicide." Daddy says.

I gasp again. "What?" I ask.

He nods. "When the FBI came out here to question old man Compton, he collapsed. He had a stroke and is in the hospital in Havre. His wife was devastated but still insists she knows nothing."

"So what about Maxine?" I ask him.

"She was taken into custody and after they investigated the house and surrounding area, they will be adding murder to her litany of charges." He says to me.

"What?" I ask.

"They found bodies buried in the back. All the girls had been beaten and I guess from what I heard before we left Dallas, all of their toxicology reports showed the same mixture as what you were given." Daddy says.

"So what about the rest of the town? What are they doing with the girls? I mean, I saw the women in the town, Daddy. They were all, I don't know. It seems the whole town was in on it."

"More than the whole town," Daddy says. "They found records going back decades, Sookie. This is big but there is a problem." He huffs.

I wait for him to continue. "There are a lot of people involved in this. A lot of people that are very powerful. The FBI is spinning this as a religious cult and that most of the members have killed themselves. The sheriff and that Grill owner have disappeared. Many of the girls who they pulled out of the house were so drugged and confused they will not be able to testify."

"Tara, did…did they find Tara?" I ask him.

Daddy nods. "That is why JB is being sent home. It doesn't look good, Sookie. She is not making any sense and isn't really responding to anyone right now. She's in the hospital in Dallas and JB's parents are with her. Her mother refuses to leave Bon Temps and actually said that she doesn't have a daughter. The rest of the town is not saying a word and I think the Feds want it that way. I heard Clancy say that they are cutting that Maxine woman a deal and she is going to live out her life in a federal country club as long as she keeps her mouth shut about her client list."

I shake my head. "They are getting away with everything?" I ask him.

"I don't know about that, but what I do know is that it appears that the US government wants Mrs. Maxine Fortenberry, Bon Temps and this whole mess to go away." He says.

I close my eyes for a moment and then something else dawns on me. I open them and look back at my father. "Daddy, they said something about Hot Shot."

"Corbett, not now. She's heard enough. Let her rest, please?" Gran asks.

"No, I need to know, Gran." I say to her

Daddy sighs. "Evidently, Hot Shot was a place just outside of Bon Temps. It, the girls…" He pauses. "By the time they got out there, everyone was dead, Sookie. I don't want to talk about what they told me about that place, okay? It's best you never know." He tone tells me that Corbett Stackhouse was final on this decision.

"Well, what is wrong with me?" I ask Gran

She smiles. "Nothing that time and rest will fix," she reaches up and brushes the hair out of my face. "They got to everything in time so no permanent damage should have been done. But the doctors said they would know more when you woke. The fact that you remember everything is a good sign. They will check everything else and then they will let you go home," she smiles at me. "Then we will work on getting you back to your full health."

I sigh, leaning back. "The boys aren't back yet? They said that they would only be gone a week."

She nods. "Hadley is home and she said that she would call when they got back."

I close my eyes and think of my beautiful Sergeant. "He is going to be so mad when he finds out what happened."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't think him a man if he doesn't, Susannah." Daddy snaps again. I open my eyes to look at him and he is angry again. "Bobby said you lied to him. If he is anything like your brother and Remy, he is not going to be happy."

"Daddy, I didn't lie to him," I say shaking my head. "I didn't want him to worry when he was going out on a mission."

"Well, if you were doing something that would cause him or any of them to worry about you then you shouldn't have been doing it. Shit, girl, you don't have to do everything yourself. I want you to promise me here and now that this is the last time you do anything reckless."

I nod my head and I feel the tears welling in my eyes now.

"Shit," Corbett says. He sits on the bed next to me. "Baby, you are the last part of your mother I have left," he says softly. "I worry so much about you and your brother, Remy too. Now I worry about this Eric because if I am reading the signs right, my girl has fallen in love." He waits for my response but all I can do is nod. "Then you need to remember that the next time you want to go off and save the world."

He pulls me again into his arms and holds me like that for some time.

***0***

The next three days are a barrage of tests and evaluations. Finally after what feels like forever, I'm given the okay to go home. I didn't get the whole story of what I'd been given but I know that it wasn't good and had some pretty nasty things in it. I had asked quite a few times but no one would give me a complete answer. Finally, Mitch had told me that I really didn't want to know and that I should be thankful to be alive. It was the most Mitch had said to me since I awoke and his tone was not the pleasant laid back man I was used to. He seemed angry and, well disgusted. I wanted to ask him about it but I was tired still. Okay, I was scared to confront him. I knew he was mad at me but I couldn't tell what for. I'm assuming it's because I went off without him but in my heart, I've got a feeling that it was something more.

Gran had come early to help me get ready to leave as Daddy was settling up everything. Evidently, all the bills were being taken care but I wasn't sure by whom. Daddy just growled when he looked at all the paperwork and shot out of the room before I got a chance to ask. I mean, I had decent insurance through the firm but I don't even know if there is a firm anymore with Bill, well, dead and his father in the hospital. The last I'd heard yesterday is that Mr. Compton was not expected to recover from what they assume is a stroke. He was not responding to treatment and he could be non responsive for the rest of his life. Daddy said something about the FBI not catching their big tuna but I really didn't know what he meant.

I was just about finished when Daddy returned followed by Doctor Murphy.

"You remember what I said, Sookie. You feel anything funny, your limbs get cramped or numb, you find yourself short of breath or any of the other symptoms we talked about and I want you to call my office and get to the nearest hospital. We still don't know what all the side effects to the cocktail you were shot up with will entail so if you feel out of sorts, at all, I want you to take precautions." Doctor Murphy hands the file in his hand off to Gran.

We had talked at length about some of the things I need to watch out for. I was sure that as soon as I got home and in my own bed, I would start to recover faster than they all expected me too. Truthfully, there is nothing better than Gran's chicken soup for what ails ya.

I thanked the doctor and after a few minutes of me being stubborn, I finally sat my ass down in the wheelchair that a nurse had brought in while we were talking.

The ride up from Billings was quiet and I couldn't help but think about the ride down to the airport all those weeks ago and everything that had happened. When we left, I was certain that our time in Louisiana would be stressful but quick. Now, I'm actually thankful to being going home at all. Contrary to what Daddy believes, I know exactly how close I came to losing my life and it scared me more than I would ever let on. Well, that isn't true. I'd probably let Eric know but for the rest of them, I still want to be the strong little girl that they've all come to know and love.

About an hour into the ride, Daddy's phone rings. Gran picks it up and by her words I know that it's Hadley. I don't get the whole conversation but I can tell that she's saying something about the guys. The call is quick and when Gran hangs up, she looks back at me.

"They're back. Hadley's spoken to Jason and Remy." She says.

"Did…did she tell them?" I ask her.

She nods. "They wanted to know why they had no emails from you and wanted to know if you were home yet. They knew that JB had been called to commander but wanted to ask you about it. She told…she told them, Sookie. Your brother is waiting to talk to you when we get home."

I close my eyes and lean back in the SUV. If Jason knows then there is only a matter of time until Eric knows.

***0***

March 22th Afghanistan

Almost three weeks. Fuck, I can't believe this shit. Every time we thought we were coming back, they would fucking extend our tour. This was unbelievable. Like there aren't any other units in the area that can do this shit just as well as we can. But no, we were held out again and again.

I sigh. Normally this shit wouldn't bother me but I wanted to get back to the unit. Something was nagging at the back of my mind. Something wasn't right and I knew it. I needed to hear my sweet girl's voice and know that she was okay. I know, I'm being unrealistic but she's in a strange place with some really fucked up stuff going on. I would be all kinds of better when she was safe and sound back on the ranch with her Dad.

Jason continued to tell me stories about growing up in Montana with Sookie and Hadley. I don't think there is anything more you could tell me about Sookie growing up. When I close my eyes at night, I can almost see her smiling face. Sometimes, it's a little Sookie with sun kissed skin and pigtails. Sometimes it's my beautiful girl on her horse or just looking back at me. It's made me think of things I've not thought of in years. I already told Sookie that I wanted her forever but I'm not sure she knows what that means.

For the first time in a very long time, I see myself with a wife, kids and sharing my life with someone. That is all I want now. I don't care if I have to move to Montana or learn how to be a rancher to have it. This is it for me.

The moment our boots hit the compound, JB was escorted over to the commander's tent. I was told nothing but before I was out debriefing I was informed that he was returning to Germany and then going state side due to a personal situation. When I pressed for more information, I was told that it was classified.

This concerned me but thought that if it had anything to do with his wife, surely Sookie would know and she would tell me when I spoke to her.

I ran into the barracks, assuming that the guys would have tried to skype Sookie by now. When I through the door and turned the corner, the look in front of me made my blood run cold.

"What?" I ask Stackhouse who is seated at the table looking at a blank screen.

"He's been like that since we got off with Hadley," Remy says next to me. I jump because my concentration was on Jason.

I turn to look at him. "What is it?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Come on, I'll tell you. I don't think Jason will be able to talk right now."

He moves me over to my cot where he sits me down and tells me everything that Hadley had told him. If he left anything out, I don't know but the story got worse and worse as he told it.

"Two weeks?" I ask him as he gets to the part about Sookie's coma.

He nods. "Yeah, they are on their way home now. They should be home within the hour. Jason is waiting to see her but I know you want to see her too."

"You know how to get in touch with that friend of yours?" I look up to see Jason staring down at me.

I nod going into my footlocker and pulling out my laptop. I boot it up and wait until I launch the app and dial his number.

"Thought I would hear from you sooner than this, man." He says. I've got him on speaker and both Jason and Remy have heard him.

"What the fuck!" Jason yells.

"You better start talking man," I growl at him.

"Who's there with ya?" Bobby asks.

When I tell him, he sighs. "Yeah, well I guess I can tell you all what I know at one shot."

He begins to tell us what had been going on and what involvement the FBI and DA played in all of this.

"You let her go in there alone?" I yell at him. "What the fuck!"

"Dude, she wasn't taking no for an answer. I didn't know she was walking into a hornet's nest, I swear." He says.

"What the fuck!" I look at Jason. "How did JB not know about all this? I mean he was Hoyt's best friend and you can't tell me that they didn't know what this bitch was up to."

"I don't think JB knew anything," Bobby says. "But Hoyt is another matter. I don't know everything yet, but I'm staying close to this man Foster. He owes me after everything. They are shutting this down, Eric. They are making it look like a crazed religious thing and that is how they are spinning it on the local news. Maxine is in maximum security and since Bill is dead, they have nothing. The other men are not talking. A lot of them were just guards and the others aren't saying shit to me. There was one guy, Sam Merlotte that got away. I intend on finding him when I can get away from here."

"Bobby," I growl. "What happened to her?" I ask him.

"Dude, she…I don't really know. When her Daddy got to the hospital, he decked me and wouldn't let me near her. I only know what I heard. Eric, you don't know how…"

"I don't want to fucking hear it. I trusted you with the most important thing in my life and you let me down. I fucking trusted you man. I should have known that you wouldn't take this seriously. When the fuck have you ever been serious? I swear to god, if I ever see you again, you will be fucking sorry you breathe!" I hit the end button and start panting. I get up dropping the laptop on the bed and start pacing the floor. I want to hit something. I want to destroy something. My girl had been hurt. No, she hadn't been hurt, she almost died. All because she wanted to help someone. No, because she wanted this to end. On top of all that, she didn't tell me a fucking thing about it. She did all this without telling me. She put herself in harm's way. Doesn't she know that….fuck, I love her so much.

I turn and see that Jason and Remy are back on their laptop. I want to go to it, I want to talk to her, but I can't make my feet move. I almost fucking lost her. These sick mother fuckers tried to take my girl away from me and there is nothing I could have done about it. I am too far away to protect her and the one person I thought would, failed me.

I don't know how long I stood there, thinking, staring at nothing and everything. I saw my life before Sookie. I was a shell of a man. Moving from deployment to deployment. Hiding myself and finding time with women that meant nothing to me. Finding no happiness in anything. Then a package came and my life did a complete about face. All I want is to be home, no, to be with Sookie and hold her. To keep her safe and never let anything or anyone hurt her again.

"Sarge," I hear someone say. I look up to see Remy looking at me.

I nod.

"She said she would be waiting on line for you." He says and turns away.

I look up to see Jason. He's got tears in his eyes and is doing everything in his power to stop them from falling. I look away, because there is nothing funny about a Marine crying.

I walk slowly over to my bunk, grab my laptop and walk out of the barracks. There is a structure just outside the door that is used for officers and meetings. I walk in without care or warning. I want to speak to my girl and I don't want to be disturbed. I remember right before I went out on our tour that I had thought I would be using this office for another purpose. But that thought is fleeting at best right now. From what I've been told of Sookie's current condition, those aren't the thoughts I should be entertaining right about now.

I plug and wait for everything to come back on line.

I launch the app and true to her word, Sookie is on line.

The screen comes alive and I see her sitting in a bed that I've never seen before. I know that she's home and I'm getting a glimpse of her room. The lights are on and the walls look to be light, yellow or white, I'd guess. She's in a shirt and the covers are pulled up. She looks pale and there are dark circles under her eyes.

She tries to smile but it doesn't raise to her beautiful eyes.

"Sookie," I say touching the screen.

Her eyes fill with tears and are immediately over flowing. "Eric…I'm …I'm so sorry," she says in gasps. "Please I didn't…" she shakes her head.

"I almost lost you," I say through my own tight throat.

"I didn't..I wouldn't…I'm sorry. I hurt so many people. I didn't mean to. I just wanted…I didn't think…" she is crying so hard now.

"Sookie," I say as the tears spill out of my own eyes. "You need, sweetheart, you have to stop crying. I can't understand you."

We stay like that for what feels like forever. She finally calms down and I know for a fact that this is the first time she's cried since this all began.

"Jason, he's so mad. Daddy is still angry. Gran is too upset to be yelling at me. If I was stronger, I think Hadley would have decked me. Mitch won't even talk to me and I've not seen anyone else. Eric, I…please, don't be mad at me too." She says and wipes the tears away.

"Sookie," I say and stop for a moment. I wanted to let into her too. I wanted to tell her how stupid and thoughtless all this all was. How she could have gotten herself killed and there would be nothing any of us could have done to prevent it. I wanted to tell her all of that. No, I wanted to yell, scream, throw things. But seeing her in her bed. Looking so small and frail, I couldn't.

"Sookie, I could have lost you." I say softly. "I just got you baby and you could have gone, just like that. You didn't even tell any of us what you were doing." That is something we will talk about later. There will be no more of this not telling me shit. I won't have it.

"You…you were going out on tour. I didn't want you to worry about me." She sniffles.

"Sookie, when are you going to get it through that stubborn, beautiful head of yours? I worry about you constantly. There isn't a minute of any day that I don't think about you. Wondering what you are doing, who you are meeting, what you are seeing. I worry that another man is going to come along and take you away from me because I'm not there to fight for you. I worry that you will realize that this is hard and not want it. I worry that I've given you my heart and it will never be whole without you." I say. "I never ever want you to keep anything from me again. You lied Sookie."

"Well, I…." She looks at me and then shakes her head. "No, you're right. I didn't know what I was doing. It was my decision to go and the only one who tried to stop me was Bobby. But he wouldn't let me go alone. Eric, I swear, if I thought for one moment that they were doing what they were doing, I would never have set foot in Bon Temps. I don't go looking for trouble."

"But it found you this time, now didn't it," I pause. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. I don't feel like me yet, ya know?" She asks and I nod. "I keep getting flash backs. The doctor says that's normal but it still feels surreal. I can't ride Blue for a while and if Gran has her way, I won't be out of this bed for at least another week. I miss you. All I thought of when I woke up was wanting to see your face. That is what got me out of that house, Eric. All I could think about was how angry you were going to be."

"I am angry," I say to her. "I could have lost you. I don't think you know how much you mean to me."

"I think I do…" she pauses. "You said it right before you left."

There is color in her cheeks. Not my blush but it's close.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You…you said I love you right before you disconnected.

My eyes go wide. Holy Shit, I did.

"It's okay if you didn't mean it…" she rushes out.

"Sookie," I say to her.

"I mean, you were going off to tour and you were probably only…"

"Sookie," I try to get her attention.

"It's really okay, Eric. I know it's only been…."

"SOOKIE!" I say a little louder.

The sound of my voice makes her jump and I'm immediately sorry for causing that reaction. I was all ready to give her what for when I got on line with her. But seeing her and hearing her words, seeing her tears and knowing that every other important person in her life was giving it to her, I couldn't. Am I mad, sure. Does it hurt that she put herself out there like that? You better believe it. Will we have a talk about all this? Oh yeah, but not now.

"I told you I wanted you forever. Do you think I would say that and not love you?" I ask her.

She shakes her head.

"Sookie, I am mad. I am so angry I could scream and probably take down the whole Taliban by myself right now. But that won't help you or me. I will say that you and I will have a long talk about you keeping things from me but that will be another time. For now, I will tell you without rushing out the door. I love you Susannah Stackhouse. Never scare me like this again. You own my heart now. You can't go being reckless. Because if you hurt yourself, you are hurting me now too."

She nods. "I…Eric…I love you too. I'm so sorry. Please say you forgive me?"

"I love you baby, never scare me again." I say softly.

We stay online for what feels like hours. That is until Sookie's eyes begin to droop. I don't stop talking. Like the times before when she's gotten tired, I watch her drift off before I disconnect. Once I do, I walk out and back into the barracks.

Jason walks right over to me and I can see his chest heaving with his anger.

"We can't have Compton because he chicken shitted his way out. The Feds got Hoyt's Momma. I want your friend to make up his fuck up for us." He says in a low raspy voice.

"What you have in mind?" I ask him.

"I want him to find this Merlotte and I want him to pay for what he did to Sookie." He says.

I give him a half smile. I couldn't agree more.


	15. Chapter 14

I know that it's a few days off (like a week) but this past week has been just NUTS! I don't know when all the crazy decided to visit my house but I wish it didn't all decide to visit at once.

Okay, so here is the next chapter of Semper Fi... We are moving along... remember we have a definite ending of this story (think chapter 1)... we are on the home stretch. Need to get through one major bump in the road and then our boys should be coming home. How many chapters you ask? Well... if my muse doesn't decide to go nutty, I'd say 5 or 6. If she does, well...then all bets are off.

Thank you to my lovely Beta Goddesses... you ladies rock!

Thank you all for following along and reading with me. Just so you know... Sephrenia suggested I find a place to hide with this chappy - just saying.

Let me know what you think...

Lots of Love, ILWE

***0***

Semper Fi Chapter 14 - Defend our Own

March 29th 2008, Montana

SPOV

Ten days….it's been ten days. Ten days of sitting in my room and being waited on. Ten days of watching out the window as everyone came to and from their daily routine. Ten days since I broke down to Eric and wanted to crawl through the computer and into his arms. Ten days of doing, well, nothing. It's driving me crazy.

I sigh as I move and make my way over to my closet. I'm determined to make it past my doorway today. Gran has been merciless with having me stay in bed. She only allowed me up and out to use the bathroom. Well, use it while someone (Gran, Hadley, or Holly) either stood outside or helped me in and out of the shower. Holly has spent the most time with me besides Gran. Hadley, having to work, spends as much as she can. Daddy has come to see me in the evenings for a while before going to bed. But no matter the amount of begging and pleading I do, no one would go against Gran's decree that I stay put in bed. Even Eric had been in agreement with all of them.

His main concern was that I recover from being out for so long. Two weeks is a long time for anyone to be in a coma, no matter what the cause. I've got a feeling that both Eric and Jason know more about what was given to me than I do. I've asked everyone, including Eric, what was in that cocktail, but the conversation was quickly changed to something else. I've no idea why everyone is being so secretive. It was me that was shot up. Why can't I know?

I pull on a pair of my favorite old jeans, a sweater, and grab my boots as I head to the door. I'm half way down the stairs before I hear anyone.

"No, I don't think it's the right time," I hear Gran say.

"Momma, what time do you want it to be? They've been waiting to talk to Sookie for over a week and won't wait much longer. They want to know what she found out while there and they aren't going to take no for an answer."

I hear a pot slam and I jump. "She's too weak to be talking to them," she shouts out to my father. "I won't let those, those men come in here and upset her with all their questions when they did nothing to stop what happened to my baby. I won't allow it Corbett. We could have lost her and if I never have to hear the name William Compton or Bon Temps again, it will be a blessing. Why can't we just let them deal with things and let us alone?"

"Because that's not how things work, Gran," I say as I come through to the kitchen.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Gran spins around, placing her hand on her hip and gives me a look I haven't seen since I was ten. It's the mind me or else look. At ten, it was frightening. Okay, it's frightening now, but still I'm an adult and I won't be treated like a little girl anymore.

"Gran, it's been ten days. I can't be cooped up there for the rest of my life," I sigh and walk over to get myself a cup of coffee.

"You are still weak, Sookie. You need to be in bed. You were out for…"

I turn around and put my hand up. "Okay, this is stopping now," I say to her. "I know I was out for two weeks. I know I frightened all of you to within an inch of your lives. I know I made a poor decision heading to Bon Temps alone. Well, not alone," I shrug, "but without more back up. Yes, I got hurt, but none of you are letting me in on how bad I was nor are you telling me what I was shot up with. Which will be changing, by the way," I look from one to the other. "It's my body and I have the right. I'm due to go the clinic in town for blood work in a few days and if you all won't tell me then I'll just request to look at my file."

"Sookie," Gran says.

"NO," I slam my own hand on the counter. It's not as loud as when she slammed the pot, but it makes the same point. "I'm an adult and I will find out what's going on with or without your help. I can't sit around and hide away because I got hurt. Jason wouldn't do it, nor would Remy. They all face danger every day and have a chance of getting hurt. Eric tries to down play it, but I know, we all do."

"All the more reason to keep yourself safe, Sookie," Gran interjects. "You could have gotten yourself killed. What do you think that did to your brothers or to your man?"

She raises an eyebrow like she's got me. I can see now that Gran isn't above using the guilt card to get me to do what she wants.

"Gran," I walk over to her and kiss her on her cheek. "I love you. I love all those guys. There is nothing I would want to do to make them worry. But what happened, happened and I'm not about to hide away because of it. The Feds have Maxine in custody. Hoyt's body has been exhumed and Holly now has all the rights of his widow. Bill took the coward's way out but I don't have to worry about him either. It's over, Gran. All that's left is dealing with the rubble and cleaning up the messes."

Gran shakes her head. "You make it sound so simple."

"It can be if we want it bad enough," I turn to my father. "They want to speak to me?"

He nods. "They have been held up at the B&B just on the other side of town. Three of them are here to talk to you. But Sookie, if you aren't ready…."

I shake my head. "No, let's get this over with. That town has a lot to answer for and Maxine has a lot to atone for. I want this done so we can move on."

***0***

Three hours later, I'm through telling Agent Foster, Agent Briggs, and Special Agent Turnquist everything I can remember about the house, the people I met, and the information we gathered about Maxine Fortenberry.

"What you are telling us matches with what our findings were, Miss Stackhouse," Special Agent Turnquist says looking at a portfolio in front of him. "As far as we can gather, most, if not all the town was in on it. At least the major families in the area. The town just went along with most of it. Fortenberry and her counterparts brought a lot of money into the area so no one said a thing."

"So Bill and his father…." I trail off.

Turnquist nods. "As far as we can tell, the Compton family has been making the most of this situation for some time now. We weren't able to ascertain all the records but we have enough. It's only been the last forty years that they've been active participants."

"Active, how?" Corbett asks.

"Well," Turnquist looks at Foster and then back to us. "That really is classified information."

"My little girl almost died so you could make this case. I think she, and we," he looks around at the rest of the family that have been congregating in the living room since the agent's arrival, "deserve answers."

Turnquist gives my father a long hard look. Turnquist is comparable to my father in height and weight but the heaviness of his eyes and the lines around his mouth tell me that the man has seen a lot and wants to forget more. His accent tells me that he's from somewhere in the Northeast but it's faded some. I guess he's spent his share of time in the south.

"If it was my daughter, I suppose I'd want to know too," Turnquist closes the file.

"Sir, I don't think…." Foster starts to say.

"No you don't think. Because if you did, you wouldn't have put this man's daughter in harm's way to wait for a warrant that you didn't need," Turnquist says.

You can tell that Foster is shocked by Turnquist's rebuke. "I wanted to make sure…"

"You were more worried about closing this case than saving this girl," he points to me. "Now tell the man what he wants to know or I'll make sure that this shows up on not only your record but in the case file."

Foster just stares at Turnquist for a moment. He's getting red and I can tell that his anger is spiking from the increase in his breathing. After a few minutes Turnquist turns away from him. "Fine, I'll tell them."

Turnquist leans forward and places his elbows on his knees. "From what we can gather, Compton and his son have been instrumental in sending girls to Mrs. Fortenberry for the better part of forty years."

"When you say send…" I start to say.

"We only know the name of one man involved with the transport and apprehension of women, Samuel Merlotte. We know that both Compton men used other procurers here in Montana but no one is talking and we have not been able to find Merlotte. From what we gathered, Merlotte moved to Bon Temps to help with the incoming girls about ten years ago. Before that, he lived in several places, including Havre. As much as we've been able to track, he's lived in Colorado, Texas, Arkansas and then Louisiana."

"My God," I put my hand to my mouth, "how many girls have they taken?"

Turnquist shakes his head. "We can't be sure. But from the body count we found out behind the main building we are looking at hundreds, maybe thousands of girls over the years. Some of them were legitimately sent to be groomed to be the perfect wife. But most of them," he shrugs. "We've dealt with the twenty that were present during the raid. The one that you helped," he pauses.

"Daphne?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes, Daphne; she was able to tell us a lot of what had been transpiring for the last year. The other girl, Tara, is proving to be problematic."

"How do you mean?" I ask.

"She isn't talking," Foster spits out. "She won't say a word. She even denies her husband."

"What are you talking about?" Daddy asks.

"She says that she's never been married. That her mother sent her to Ms. Maxine to learn to be a proper wife and that she was promised to have a proper family by the end of the year. She showed documentation saying that Maxine was hired to help her and is an official match maker and nothing else. Her husband arrived last week but she refused to see him. He produced the marriage certificate that they were given on their wedding day but nothing is filed in Shreveport and there isn't even a record of it at the little church in Dallas they were married at."

"We are looking into the County records office now to see where the error occurred," Turnquist says. "But it really will do us little good now."

"Oh, I bet the error had something to do with Bill," I say to them. "When he was in the corridor with that girl Sarah, I heard him talking about papers and a lawyer but he didn't give any names. I'm sure you found more information in the house about their attorneys and all that. At the very least, talk to Sarah or one of the other girls. Or better yet, talk to one of those men that were in Sam's office with me. From the little that I was getting through the haze, I bet they know more than I would at this point. But I'm willing to help if you need me too." I nod but no one says a thing.

The men look from one to the other and then back to me. I look at them and then to Daddy. They all have the same expression on their faces.

"What….what are those looks for?" I ask the men in front of me.

"Miss Stackhouse," Turnquist says. "Have you watched the news in the past few days?"

"That's enough," Gran pipes in for the first time. "She doesn't need to hear the rest of this right now. She's been ill and I'm sure you all will agree, she's lucky to be alive. We don't need to…"

"Gran," I say. She turns to me, her eyes wide with unshed tears. "I need to know," I turn away from her, not wanting to see the pain on her face and turning back to the agents. "No, Agent Turnquist, I haven't been following the news. I thought if there was something for me to be concerned about my family would let me know, but now I think I was trying to give my mind a little bit of a rest. What have I missed?"

Turnquist looks down for a moment and then back at me. "I think you should read this," he says and pulls out a page of a newspaper and hands it to me.

I unfold it and see that it was dated two days ago.

_Shreveport, Louisiana._

_Shock and horror were expressed when firefighters from several surrounding parishes responded to several four alarm fires in Bon Temps, Louisiana late yesterday evening. Apparently, several buildings including four residential homes, a several hundred year old Antebellum style estate and the Church of the Lord's Will were set ablaze. Sources close to both the Shreveport Fire department as well as the Police department indicate that neither offices in Bon Temps responded to the call. _

"_The Bon Temps Sheriff was called several times during the incident but he never picked up," one officer said. "We learned later why."_

_According to sources both at the local and federal level, there has been an ongoing investigation regarding a possible cult gathering in the small town that resides in Renard Parish. A spokesperson from the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicated that they had already brought in one of the leaders, Mrs. Maxine Fortenberry, for questioning and were looking at questioning several other key leaders in the alleged group within the next few weeks. _

"_I guess the residents got wind of one of their leaders getting arrested and panicked," Mr. Joe Walker of Shreveport said. "I've gone to Bon Temps a few times over the years but it was always a little funny. They aren't the friendliest of folks and you got a feeling that they didn't like outsiders, ya know?"_

_Mr. Joseph Walker has resided in Shreveport Louisiana for the past forty years with his family. _

_Other residents in the surrounding towns indicated the same type of feeling from the residents of Bon Temps. _

"_There are a lot of questions that need to be answered regarding this incident," the spokesman for the state Attorney General's office said, "we may never really know what was going on there."_

_It is certain that there will be little to no discussion with the residents of Bon Temps since it is suspected the most if not all of its residents were in the buildings when they were set on fire._

"_We are certain that the fires were set and an accelerant was used," Fire Chief Sampson Rogers of Shreveport announced to the press. "What we aren't certain of is the condition of the people before the fire began."_

_The coroner's office has not indicated yet what the final cause of death was for what looks like over a hundred remains taken from the church after the fire was finally extinguished. No comment has been made about the number of children that were found but several of the body bags that this reporter saw indicate that children were among the casualties. _

"_We will not confirm any of the bodies until the autopsies are complete," Police spokesperson Randolph Carter said. _

_This may take some time. However, this reporter did acquire the last census taken which indicates that there were two hundred and twenty one people living in Bon Temps as of 2006. _

I look up at the man seated in front of me. "All of them?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "We won't know until the autopsies are done and dental records are found. But they found a hell of a lot more than the hundred that has been reported. The census is off as well. We aren't really sure how many people were living in that town as well as Hot Shot."

"Nothing has been said about those girls?" I ask.

"No," Turnquist says. "Thankfully we were able to keep that as well as the other bodies out of the paper."

"Then what of the ones you have in custody? Do you have anyone that will talk?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "We are working on them and the Fortenberry woman but we have other issues as well."

"What other issues could you possibly have?" Daddy asks.

Turnquist looks up again meeting his eyes. "There are those that would very much like this whole ordeal to go away." He says.

"You mean there are men that got their wives from Maxine and they don't want anyone to know." I lean back.

Turnquist turns his strong eyes on me. "Yes, Miss Stackhouse. You would be correct in that there are many powerful people that would very much like this all to just disappear. In fact, I would not put it past them to make people disappear."

"Are you threatening my daughter?" Daddy asks.

"On the contrary, Mr. Stackhouse, I am cautioning you. You see," he looks at Foster and then back to my father. "We aren't completely sure who set those fires and where the rest of the residents of Bon Temps are at present. What we do know is that we have been ordered to close this case as quickly as possible."

"But you had JB come home from the war. How are you going to explain that? What about Daphne and Tara? I'm sure the other girls will talk as well."

"Daphne is being put in a witness protection program if she agrees not to discuss this with anyone. The other girls that were taken in were so brainwashed that they don't know up from down. Most of them will need extensive therapy before they will be able to function," Foster chimes in.

"What about Tara? I mean with Hoyt's death and all the stuff with the case she'll be pulled into the media at some point." I say to them.

"The case has been sealed. The Sergeant's wife will get everything that was coming to her but we are sealing the records to keep the peace." Turnquist says.

"To keep everyone silent, you mean," I say to him.

"I wouldn't word it like that, Miss Stackhouse," he says to me.

"Well, I would," I say to him. "But what about Tara?" I ask. "JB is going to want to know what happened to his wife."

Turnquist goes real quiet. "What?" I ask.

No one says a thing.

"Damn it!" I scream. "What the fuck happened to them?"

Turnquist sighs. "Tara Thornton was found in her hospital room. Her heart had stopped. It appears that someone gave her the same cocktail that you were given. Only no one called for help."

"What!" I stand up.

"Sookie," Daddy says.

"NO," I point to him then turn to Foster. "What the hell happened? With everything that was going on you left her unprotected? You just left her to the wolves? What, is she not important to you? You had to know that when she came up missing they had her. You left her in that place. They did God knows what to her and now she's dead. "

"For your information, Miss Stackhouse, we had no confirmation that she was brought to the compound." Foster leans forward. He goes to stand but Turnquist puts a hand on his shoulder keeping him where he is.

"Yeah, right. Just like you didn't know what they were going to do to me," I pace back and forth. "How could you just leave her unprotected?"

"She had a guard on the door and the only one that was allowed in besides the doctors and nurses was her own mother," Foster growls at me.

I stop in my tracks. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that she either gave it to herself or her mother gave it to her. The doctors and nurses have been cleared," he replies.

"How could you think that her own mother would…" I trail off and tears well into my eyes. Sure I was angry with Tara for allowing what happen to Holly and Jessica to go on for so long but I didn't want her dead.

I pull the hand away from my mouth. "What did JB say?" I ask.

"Miss Stackhouse," Turnquist says. "JB DuRone was a victim of a hit and run three hours after Tara was discovered."

I look from the three men to Daddy. "Am…am I in danger?" I ask them. "What about Holly and Jessica?" I ask.

"I have been told that if you are willing to drop this and let the story stand as a cult situation, you will be fine," he says to me.

"And who has told you this?" Daddy asks.

"It doesn't matter," Turnquist turns his attention to me. "I have been assured that if you are willing to let this go, they will too. Too many lives have been lost in all of this, Miss Stackhouse. I don't want to see your name added to the list."

"So, all I have to do is lay down and I'm fine?" I ask him.

"Miss Stackhouse," Turnquist starts.

"Sookie," Holly says from across the room. I turn to look at her. "Let this go. I will always be grateful to you for what you and your family have done for me. But it's time to put an end to all of this."

"Holly, what that woman did…." I start to say.

"Agent Turnquist has assured me that Maxine will get what's coming to her. I can live with that. I want this all to be over. Lord only knows why Hoyt left me there. The Agents don't think he was involved in all that his momma was doing but he had to know what was up. I don't understand it and I probably never will. But I also don't want to live our lives looking over our shoulder. I don't want to be scared when strangers talk to me or I see someone new on the streets. I just want to get on with my life and find a way to get past it all. Agent Foster offered to relocate me if you all thinks it's best."

"Holly," Daddy gets up and goes to her. Wrapping his strong arms around her he pulls her close. "This is your home now. I don't know what I'd do if you left."

Something in his words brings me up short. They are innocent on the surface, but there is something else. But now is not the time to think about it.

I turn back to Turnquist. "What is going to happen to Maxine?" I ask him.

"I've been assured that she will get her due, Miss Stackhouse," Turnquist says to me.

I sigh looking around the room and then turn back to the agents. "I want my family safe. If this is how it has to be then it will. But I don't like this, not one bit. There were a lot of people in that town and I'm not sure all of them agreed with what was happening. All their lives have been wasted to cover up a crime."

"Miss Stackhouse," Turnquist stands and the other men stand with him. "We aren't sure of anything right now. But every effort will be made to identify the bodies."

"You'll investigate as long as it doesn't get too close to the truth, right?" I cross my arms under my chest and cock my hip in a stance that daddy would say is defiant but I don't care.

"I will keep you informed as much as I can. But as far as you or anyone else knows, this was a cult gathering gone mad. We are hoping that with everything else going on in the country that this will die down quickly," Turnquist says.

I get a sinking feeling that if these powerful people wanted to, they could deter this whole thing with another disaster somewhere else. The thought is just way too science fiction for me to think about right now.

All three men get up and with only a thank you for our time, leave without another word.

"That is that," I say with a sigh as I hear a car start up and know that it's heading off the ranch.

"You okay, Sookie?" Daddy asks me.

I turn to look at him. "No, but I don't have much of a choice, now do I?"

Without another word to anyone, I head to the door and out to the barn. I need some time alone to think and I've missed my Blu.

***0***

EPOV

March 30th 2008 Afghanistan

Our orders have just come in and I know no one is going to be excited about this. Well, when are we ever excited about anything we do over here? I guess they were gracious enough to give us a few weeks of training before sending us back out. Since they are sending us up into the mountain area, we will need the time to train. Not that I know how we are going to train for the mountain terrain here but I'm assured that we will be getting what we need.

Three weeks seems like a long time but when you are training for something new, it came seem like a blink of the eye. Funny how time can speed up and slow down when it feels like it's going to torture you the most. Three weeks of training and then two weeks out in the field. That will put us into May and that much closer to getting out of here.

The whole unit has been talking about where they are going and for the first time, I'm looking forward to being out of my fatigues. Jason and Remy have been talking to me a lot about the ranch and what is needed. They've already started talking about ways they can help Corbett and increase the income all around. For me, I've been talking to several people on getting my license to practice in Montana. It doesn't seem to be that difficult. I've even spoken to that lawyer that Sookie works with about doing some work with him. He is more than agreeable to take me on considering he's lost his other partner.

Nothing has been said about what Compton died of. Sure we all know that he hung himself but nothing has been reported. His father's stroke made the local news in Havre but nothing has been said about Billy boy.

What has made the news is the fires in Bon Temps. Jason and I spoke with Corbett yesterday about them but nothing has been said to Sookie yet. God, I hope this embargo of anything upsetting is lifted soon. I understand Gran is really upset about what happened. But Sookie is a grown woman and if I know her half as well as I think I do, she isn't going to stand for it much longer. I for one can't wait. It's killing me keeping stuff from her. I swear that once I'm home and can officially make Sookie mine, I'll not be just bending to Gran's orders when it comes to my Sookie. She is a lot tougher than Gran is giving her credit for. I know that she was shot up with some nasty shit. I know all too well that we could have lost her. But this is just wrong. Keeping things from her is wrong.

I walk into the barracks and see both Remy and Jason alone around the computer. It's strange not to see half a dozen men trying to look at the little screen. Something tells me that this isn't going to be good.

Remy turns and sees me walking toward them. "He just came in now, Daddy."

I walk to stand behind the two men and see Corbett Stackhouse looking back at me.

"What is it? Is Sookie okay?" I start to panic. They said the doctor warned them that some of the stuff Sookie was shot up with could have some type of extended effect on her. Could something have happened?"

"Sookie is going to be okay. I just wanted you all to know before you spoke with her. She had a discussion with the Agents today and knows about the fires as well as the deaths of Tara and JB," he says.

Everyone was informed of both Tara and JB's deaths. Though, everyone was told that Tara's death was a suicide. It went along with the whole blowing the building with people in it, kind of mentality. JB's death was explained away as just bad luck. The guys had seen the footage about Bon Temps and there was a lot of talk about them not seeing any of that crazy in Hoyt while he was over here. The team had been somber for the last few days. Another reason I'm thankful for the training time. It would give us time to get our heads back in the here and now.

"How'd she take it?" I ask him.

"She's pissed as hell that nothing is going to be done. But I think she sees the severity of the situation. She's agreed to go along with the public story. There aren't many around to dispute it and if you think about it, it was sort of a cult." He shrugs.

"Is she around?" I ask him.

He smirks at me. "She's out with Blu. I'd try her in an hour. I think she'll need to talk to you, son. Just make sure you let her know that you are behind her decision. I think her head and her heart are warring with one another."

I nod at him. "I wouldn't expect anything else from her."

"So Gran let her out?" Jason asks.

"Gran didn't have a choice. Sookie came down this morning and put her foot down. It was like watching your momma and Gran again, Jason. I had to stop myself from laughing. They both looked like angry cats. Both those women are as stubborn as mules and neither of them were ready to back down. But our Sookie wasn't taking no for an answer," he looks at all three of us. "We will still keep an eye on her. She's going to the clinic for more blood work in a few days and she's demanding to know what was in the injections. Gran is convinced that she doesn't need to know but now I'm not sure I agree with her. Sookie is right. She's a grown woman and she'll need to know."

"You think it's going to upset her that much?" I ask him.

"She knows that what Tara was shot with was the same thing and killed her. I can only assume that she knows that whatever it was, Bill was trying to kill her. If your friend wasn't there and was quick to call for help, she might not be. But that is neither here nor there," he waves his hand. "Just wanted you to know that our hellcat knew everything and I wouldn't put it past her to yell at all of us for keeping things from her."

Jason and Remy mumble something about getting their ass chewed out while I contemplate everything that has been said. Pretty much, Sookie has been asked to be quiet about that sad little town. Not only that, she has been asked to lie about the deaths of people she knew and called friend. Well, I don't think that she called Tara such a generous name, but JB and Hoyt were definitely her friends.

"Daddy," Jason says. "Do they know how much Hoyt knew?"

He shakes his head. "They know he wasn't directly involved but he had to know what was going on. I have no idea why he allowed Holly to stay there unless he though his mother would stay away from her because of him. Obviously, that wasn't right but I can't think that the man I knew would leave his wife and child in the hands of that monster if he knew what she would do."

"What's Holly going to do now?" I ask.

"She is trying to put this all behind her. But I'll be there for her. Well," Corbett looks down. "We…we will all be there for her to help and support."

I chance a look at Jason. I can see the question lingering in his eyes but he says nothing. I've got a feeling that Jason and Sookie may be getting closer to Holly sooner than they would think.

"Okay," Corbett slaps his hands together. "I need to get going. You all be safe and I'll speak to you soon."

We all say our goodbyes and the screen goes dark.

Since I've got an hour before I need to speak to my beauty, I decide to take a shower and clean up.

Showers in the army aren't comfortable, relaxing places. No, they are cold and sterile. It is safe to say that not many of us find intimate time in the general shower, if you know what I mean. Today is no different. Though thoughts of Sookie and how it will feel to have her in my arms consumes me both day and night, now is neither the time nor the place to act on these thoughts. God knows who will walk in on you and you really can't get caught doing something like that.

Shower over and redressed, I head back to the barracks. Grabbing my laptop, I take off to one of the side rooms that we use for meetings to hook up to talk to my girl.

It takes longer than normal to get a connection but soon, I'm seated waiting for Sookie to log in. A little over an hour after we said goodbye to Corbett, I see Sookie connected. I ping her and wait for her to join me.

It only takes a few minutes for me to be face to face once more with my girl.

"Hey beautiful," I say softly to her. "Heard you've had a hard day."

"Who tattled?" she asks as she pulls the laptop onto her lap. I know that she's in her room and I smile when I can make out the picture of her and Gran on her nightstand.

One night she moved around the room with her laptop showing me everything in there. Sookie's room is warm, inviting and all around her.

"Corbett rang in to talk to Jason. I walked in on their conversation. How are you doing?" I ask her.

"Well considering I've been told of the mass murder of over a hundred people that the authorities aren't going to do anything about, I think I'm doing okay," she huffs.

"Sookie, they are going to do something about it. It's just…"

"It's just that the big and power men, whoever they are, don't want their dirty little secrets to get out," she growls.

"Sookie, that is the way with the powerful," I say to her.

"You say it like it's okay." She sniffles.

"No, it isn't okay and it isn't right. I fucking hate it as much as you. But these men are getting what they want. Even your Dad said that it was almost a cult. Maxine will be punished, Bill is dead, and the others will be dealt with. We really can't ask for more." I shrug.

She sighs. "I know, honey. I just…God it feels like it was all for nothing. I mean, Hoyt had to have known what his mother was doing. Yet he let Holly stay in that town. He had to have known what she would have been up against. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know baby. I know what the men say about him here and what you've said. I can only hope that he had the best intentions. We have to think that he didn't want any harm to come to his wife." I touch the screen.

"I know but it's just all insane. But your right, we will probably never know. I feel real bad for JB's family. What do you think they'll do?" she asks.

"I would think they may have gotten the same talking to as you did. They will grieve and bury their son and then move on. There is nothing we really can do." I try to smile and she returns it.

"How is Blu?" I ask her hoping that changing the subject to something more pleasant will lighten her mood.

She smiles wide. "She missed me but I think Jessica has been giving her enough sweets for four horses. I'll have to take her out for a good run in the next day or so."

"Is there snow still on the ground?" I ask her.

"Some but don't worry, I'll be careful." She smiles at me.

"You better," I smirk at her.

"Oh, and what will you do it I'm not?" She leans back and I get a very nice few of her cami-covered breasts.

Hmmm, perhaps this night will be a little more fun than my shower would have allowed.

****0****


	16. Chapter 15

Yup, rain, rain and oh yeah more rain!

But you can't change the weather so why complain.

Okay, there has been a lot of talk about the last installment of our dear series. There have been a lot of talk, complaints and well, grumbling about how CH finished. I for one haven't read the last four books, so I made my mind up about what she was doing awhile ago. But no matter what we think, she did it and now, well now we have Fanfiction to fill our voids (smiles wide!). So, here is the next installment of Semper Fi.

I am at a craft show this weekend (yes in the rain) and will be alone in a hotel room tonight with plenty of time to write. Some of you asked what my craft is and it's 3D Decoupague or Paper Tole (as it used to be called). Different, just like me (smiles again).

Okay, to the thank you's: To my wonderful Betas love you ladies. T, well, you keep me on track and sane (yeah you do).

Thank you to all my readers and wonderful people who take time to read and review my stories.

So, without further ado, please join me as we continue with our favorite rancher and uniformed Eric...

Semper Fi Chapter 15 - No greater gift has man, but to lay down his life for love.

***0***

March 30th 2008 Afghanistan

***0***

EPOV

I allow my eyes to trail up Sookie's body until I meet her eyes and everything else fades away. I'm not in the desert of Afghanistan and she's not almost halfway across the world from me. She's sitting in front of me with the most beautiful smile on her face and a very, very wicked grin on her face.

"What thought has put that smile on your face, my girl?" I ask her.

"Oh, just thinking about something you said to me a few weeks ago," she tilts her head to the side.

"And what was that?" I ask her.

She smiles wider. "Are you alone?"

I look at the door and then back at the screen. "One second," I say getting up and locking the door and pulling down the shade that is used to cover the little window on it. Quickly moving back to the desk I see that Sookie has moved slightly again and I can see more of her gorgeous body. God help me, she's wearing skimpy boy shorts with her little cammie. I groan slightly and close my eyes. "Baby, you are playing with fire."

I open my eyes to see that she is tracing the line between the top of her cammie and her luscious breasts.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she smirks at me.

"Baby, you have no idea what looking at you right now is doing to me." I say leaning slightly back to give the very large problem starting in my pants a little more room.

"Why don't you tell me?" She asks. Leaning further on her bed, I watch as her hand ghosts over her breasts. When she moves her hand away, I see the start of her nipples pebbling up.

"God, you look so perfect. What I wouldn't give to have my hands on you right now." I say to her.

"I want your hands on me too, babe," she says in a whisper. "But if you tell me where you want them, I'll do my best to do it by proxy."

Oh shit. This woman really is going to be the death of me. I must have waited too long to respond and I can see a little light fade from her eyes.

"I didn't…" she starts to say and moves for something.

"I didn't tell you to move, did I?" I ask her cocking one eyebrow up.

"What?" She asks.

"Lay back, Sookie so I can see you." I say to her.

Three heartbeats pass before she does as she's told.

"Move your hands over your breasts, baby," I say with a little more demand in my voice. She does as I say. "Close your eyes and listen to my voice."

I watch as her hands again ghost over her breasts and she closes her eyes.

"I would love to massage those luscious tits of yours." I moan as I watch her move the straps of her cammie and moves her hands under her top.

"Move it away baby," I whisper to her. "I need to see them."

I don't need to say anymore. Sookie leans forward and before I know it she whips the offending piece of material off and throws it away. Leaning back again, I have a complete and full view of a pair of the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen.

"Jesus F'ing Christ, Sookie," I gasp. "You are so fucking beautiful."

"I want you to touch me. Tell me what you would do to me," she puts the tip of her finger into her mouth and I almost lose it. Shit, I haven't come in my pants since I as twelve years old but I'll be damned if this women has me close.

"Lick your fingers baby and massage those beautiful pink nipples."

She does what I say.

"Imagine they are my tongue baby." I say as I move to unzip my pants. She moans as I move to take my even larger problem out of my pants and start slowly stroking it.

"You mouth feels so good on me," she says just above a whisper.

"I want to touch you everywhere," I growl at her.

I watch as one of her hands moves away from her left breast and moves lower down her body.

"That's it, baby," I moan again. "Touch yourself. Tell me how it feels."

"God," she moans and her head falls back. Yeah, she is working herself good. "You feel so good baby. I….I want you all over me."

"Move your fingers baby. I want to be inside you so bad." I growl as my ministration on my cock starts to move faster. I want us to end this together so I need to move her along. Shit, it's been a long time and I, fuck, no, even just watching her is the best experience I have ever had.

"Move your fingers baby. I need you to come." I grit my teeth as I watch her hand on her breast pinch and pull on the nipple.

"I'm in you baby. I want to be so bad. God you are going to feel so good. Take yourself there." I say.

"Oh…Eric, Oh, OH OH GOD…YES!" She moves her head side to side.

"Look at me!" I demand.

Her eyes pop open and just as we lock gaze we both fall over the edge with each other's names on our lips.

It takes a few minutes for either of us to get our breathing under control.

"Jesus, Sookie," I whisper. "I don't think I've ever come so hard," I say as I pull my shirt over my head to use for clean-up.

She blushes. Shit I love that blush.

"That…I've never done anything like that before." She whispers back.

"You okay, baby?" I ask her.

She looks at me and I can tell by the look on her face that she is. She nods. "I, I really liked that. It almost felt like you were with me."

I smirk at her. "I'm glad. When we are able to be together, it will just be that much better."

She blushes harder and looks down. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I baby. Neither can I."

***0***

May 15, 2008 Painted Post, Montana

SPOV

Spring is slow coming to Montana in the best of years. This year, it seems to be taking its sweet ass time. If you listen to the weather channel, we should be hitting our stride soon enough. To look out on the farm and out into the pastures, you wouldn't know it. Snow is still piled up in spots. The lake, though has iced out, still is partially frozen and the temperature still falls below freezing every night.

It has been over six weeks since Eric and I, well, got a lot more familiar with one another. Once we had, it was like a flood gate opened. No, we didn't have Skype sex all the time. But when we connected and I saw that he was in a darkened room, I knew what he wanted.

I hadn't made the first move since the first time because quite frankly, it was harder for Eric to be alone that it was for me to be alone. He didn't seem to mind, however. All I needed to see was that sexy smile on his face and no shirt and I was ready for whatever he wanted.

We had tried a few different things and I was even fully unclothed in front of him several times. He told me I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. I told him to stop teasing me the first time he told me that. That stopped our fun for over an hour until he finally thought I was convinced he was telling the truth. I know that he loves me. He's told me more than once. I know he loves the way I look. But thinking I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen? Well, the jury is still out on that.

Don't get me wrong. I know I'm cute. I know I have curves in all the right spots and I know that I turn my share of heads. But Eric is an Adonis. A God among men. I'm sure he's had his fair share of women over his young life. I'm really not going to dwell on that. He's mine now and I'll be damned if I'm going to let him go.

Our relationship up until now has been easy. The only trip we've had is when I finally found out what Bill drugged me with. To be honest, I'm really not sure that I even know what half the drugs in that cocktail were but I'm damn lucky to be alive. Bill had no desire for me to leave that building that day. I swear, if he didn't take the coward's way I would hunt him down and kill him myself. I can't believe that he was involved with all of that bullshit never mind was looking to hurt so many women.

Not that it was anyone's fault, but I was angry at everyone that knew what happened to me and chose to keep it to their selves. I was angry at Daddy and Gran, Holly, Eric, Jason, yeah I guess you can say I was angry at the world.

It didn't last long. Two days after I found out, I ended up crying to Eric for over an hour. All he kept saying was that he wished he was there to hold me. I couldn't help but wish it too, which made me start crying all over again.

A week after that little incident, I got a package in the mail. When I opened it, I laughed. It was one of Eric's shirts with a card telling me that he wore it straight out of the shower and hoped it still smelled like him. I immediately ran to my room and put it on. It did smell like him and stayed that way for over a week. After that, he and I started exchanging shirts so we could be close to one another. I know it sounds crazy, but well, we did what we had to do.

Gran thought it was sweet. Holly had a sad smile and Daddy didn't say anything except mumbling about having to have a talk with that boy soon.

Eric made as much time for me as he could between training. He couldn't tell me what he was doing but I knew that it wasn't something I would be happy about. I decided to not dwell on it and think of happier things.

We only had three weeks until our annual get together with all the unit's family. Several people, including Eric, tried to get me to cancel it or even move it to the ranch. I wasn't having any of it. Not to mention that most, if not all the attendants had gotten their flights and hotel accommodations. When Eric saw that I wasn't going to be moved, he stopped pushing.

"I just want you to be okay, baby." He said to me.

I know that I went through something really terrible and that I could have died. But I'm not about to hide away like a scared rabbit. I did learn to not poke my head in places but that's another thing all together. Being cautious and being frightened are two totally different things.

This morning, I got up early and decided to take a long ride with Blue. I knew that Eric and the guys would be calling in a bit and I needed some time to myself. This would be the last time I would be talking to them for a few weeks and for some reason, I was having a hard time of it.

Okay, I knew the reason. Every time I've said goodbye to them, I focused on being the strong one. Even when Eric and I started talking, I was still in the "protector" mode. I needed to protect Hadley, Holly and the rest of the families. I needed to be strong and secure in the fact that everyone would return to base safe and sound. That's my role and I'm good at it. Now, now there is someone I love more than life itself going out there and part of me would do anything to get him on a plane back to me. I guess I've always felt that way about the boys but now, well now it's a bit more personal.

I pull up the reins on Blue and we head toward the ridge. I probably didn't even need to guide her here. This horse knows me all too well. The moment I walked into the barn she turned to look at me as if to say, "_I know what you need, Sookie. Get on up and let me take you."_

I watch as the sun creeps over the distant horizon. The colors are beautiful, all golden and red. There is a poem about young, new, and gold. I can't remember the whole poem but the last line always hits me. "_Nothing gold can stay."_

I feel the tears on my cheeks as I think of that poem. I want the gold to stay. I wish we could all go back to a time where there was no need for our boys to be over there. A time before such pain and misery. A moment before we were all affected in ways that we never fathomed. An age of innocence, youth and gold.

I sit on Blue for what seems forever as I watch the gold lighten and turn to white as it comes into view. See, even the gold of dawn never stays for long. Turning Blue, I head back to the house.

Just as I'm finishing up with Blue, Tray walks into the barn. He and I really haven't had much to say to one another since we returned from Louisiana. I knew that he wasn't happy with me. Okay, he was mad as hell that I went off by myself. But after his initial verbal assault on me, I thought he'd get over it. Well, perhaps getting over it isn't the right phrase. Maybe putting it behind us would be a better turn of phrase. But every time we'd been in the same room or in proximity of one another, he would just give me a look. I really didn't want to deal with him, so I didn't confront him on it. Yeah, we were close once. But choices were made and life changes were the result. I wasn't going to allow myself to live in the past anymore and that is exactly where Tray Dawson belonged.

"You went out on your own," he says. It's not a question.

I nod. "I wanted some time alone."

"You shouldn't be going off on your own, Sookie. We still don't know what that…"

I put my hand up to stop him. "I'm fine. The doctors told me so and said I shouldn't have any problems. Now, thanks for your concern, but I can make my own decisions." I say and go to move past him.

"Yeah right. Cause you've made such good ones so far." He grumbles.

I turn on a dime to face him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I ask him.

"It means, you are a little girl and you've been trying to play with the big boys." He stiffens his shoulders.

"Tray, in case you didn't get the memo, I haven't been a little girl for some time." I place a hand on my hip. "And what do you care anyway?"

"What do I care," he takes a step toward me and I indistinctly take a step back. "Sookie, I love you. I've always loved you. We are supposed to be each other's forever. I was supposed to take care of you and make sure nothing happen to you. You go off by yourself and look what happened?" He paces in front of me. "Jason made me promise to take care of you. He told me that he needed me to watch over you. Look what happens when I let you alone. You go off thinking your some kind of Nancy Drew in jeans, you start up with a guy you don't even know. You," he looks at me. "You turn your back on your family."

"Wait a minute," I step forward. "You and I have been through since you screwed Crystal. Yeah, Jason asked you to take care of me but I doubt he thought you would bang his girlfriend."

"For the last time, I didn't…."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You didn't know what you were doing. You thought it was me. I've heard it all before, Tray. The point of the matter is that I couldn't trust you then and I'll be damned if I trust you now. As for me going off by myself, I have admitted to everyone that what I did was not one of my best ideas. But I had the best intentions. Besides, I had no idea what was really going on in that town. Sure I should have waited. But I had Bobby and I thought I was safe. Stop making this out like I ran away and joined the circus or something."

"You could have died," he yells at me. "You went off for the first time without me, Jason or Remy and look what happened to you!"

"Okay, you aren't my father, you aren't my brother and you sure as hell aren't my boyfriend so back off!" I yell at him. I've had enough of that shit.

"Well if you weren't so pig headed and stubborn I would be your boyfriend. Shit, Sookie, if you got your head out of your ass, we would be picking out curtains by now. But look what you got? You are some whore to some guy that is half a world away."

"What the hell did you just call me?" I ask him.

"I heard you, Sookie," he moves closer to me. "You thought we all had gone out. I came back to talk to you. You were up in your room and I…I heard you."

"That, that is none of your business." I look down. "What happens between Eric and I is none of your concern."

"He's using you, Sookie. Can't you see that?" I feel him getting closer.

"This has nothing to do with you," I say and go to walk away.

"You are just his little play thing. Once he's out and on his way home what will you do huh? You think he's coming to get you? You think he's going to ride in on his white horse and take you away from all of this?"

"What the hell are you going on about, Tray?" I tilt my head to the side. "I've never once wanted to leave the Ranch."

"Well," he laughs. "You think he's going to come here? I've done some research on your lover boy, Sookie. He's some big wig in New York. His family is like high society over there. You really think he's going to settle for some small time, little girl from some no name town like you? Grow up Sookie. You are living a dream that is going to turn into a nightmare."

I don't know where it came from but before I knew it, my fist had landed square on the sided of Tray's face.

He stumbles back a little, holding his face and staring at me.

"I'm not a little girl," I growl at him. "I don't care how much you hate yourself, your life or this Ranch, I happen to love it here. What you think of mine and Eric's relationship means nothing to me."

"What relationship, Sookie? You haven't even met!" He yells back at me.

"I don't care what you think or what you say. I've told you before, Tray Dawson to stay out of my life. If that's too hard for you maybe you need to find somewhere else to work." I've had enough of this conversation.

Part of me wants to be completely embarrassed that Tray heard Eric and I but I'll be damned if I'm going to let him see that. What Eric and I do is beautiful and loving. I'm not going to allow this, this cheater to make it into something less than wonderful.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says as I walk out of the barn. "You will be back, Sookie. When he breaks your heart, you will be back."

I quicken my pace as I make my way back to the house. Maybe I need to have a conversation with Daddy about this. Tray is bordering on the creepy.

***0***

May 16th, 2008 Afghanistan

EPOV

"Thank you for taking this time to talk to me, Sir." I say to the computer screen.

"I think it's overdue." Corbett responds, sitting back in his seat.

"It is, Sir. I know I should have come to you months ago. But with everything going on here and then with Louisiana and Sookie getting hurt and all, I wanted to make sure that she was going to feel the same way about me when she came out the other end."

"And what way do you feel about her, son?" He asks me.

I sit a little straighter in my seat. I take a deep breath and try to get the thought out of my head that this is the same room that I'm usually alone with Sookie in. So not the time to be thinking about her writhing and screaming my name as she falls over the edge. Yeah so not the time.

"Sir, I know that I've not known your daughter long," I take another breath, "but I love her with everything I am. I know we have a few more months over here. But when we are done, I plan on coming home to your daughter. I'm asking you to do me the honor of allowing me to become part of your family."

"Those are some strong words, son," he leans forward. "I know what war can do to a man. I've seen it in my boys. I know how it can make you think. I know that both my boys are changed from what they've done and seen. But I also know that when you get home, what looked good from so far away might not be as glamorous when you are living it."

"Sir, with all due respect, I love your daughter and I want to make her my wife. I've already been in touch with Sid-Matt. I'm an attorney and he's working on getting me the paperwork to practice in Montana." I smile at him. Thinking of the conversations with the old man makes me realize why Sookie works with him. He really is a tender soul.

"You plan on coming here?" He asks.

"Sir, I know that your daughter would not be happy anywhere else. I won't be happy without her. I'm not saying I know anything about being a rancher. Hell, I think it's been ten years since I've been on a horse. But I'm a quick study and I'm not afraid to learn," I pause for a moment as I watch the emotions travel across Corbett's face. "Sir," I continue. "I will do anything to be with her. I will make her happy, I promise. She's made me want to live again. She's everything to me and I'll do my damnedest to be everything she needs."

"You really do love her." He says. It isn't a question.

"With all my heart." I say.

"She's been hurt before." He raises an eyebrow. "I damn near strapped the boy behind my horse and dragged him for what he did."

"Sir, I know. But I'll never hurt her. All I see is her. She's it for me." I say.

"Well, I guess a father can't ask for anything more. You have my permission and blessing son. Hell, the first time she said your name, I knew she was lost in you. But I'm warning you, son. Make my little girl happy and don't be making her a widow before she's even a bride. I want all my boys home safe and sound and that includes you."

I am speechless for a second before I nod. "Thank you, Sir."

He nods. "We best be getting off. I just heard the door slam. Sookie must be back from her ride and she'll be wanting to speak to all of you before you leave."

I nod and look down at my watch. We have only an hour before we head out and the last thing I want to see is my girl's smile.

I disconnect from my future father-in-law and head out to catch up with the guys. I know that Jason will probably be all set up and waiting for them by now.

I smile as I walk into the barracks. My future suddenly looks a hell of a lot brighter.

***0***

"You all be safe now," Sookie says with a smile. She is trying to be so brave but I can see the tears in her eyes.

"We will, Sook," Jason says. "Don't you worry about a thing and hey, have fun in New York. We want tons of videos when we get back."

She nods. "Don't you worry. We will laugh, hug and smile for all of you," she looks to me. "Stay safe."

"We will, baby," I say to her.

We stay on talking to the rest of the family for a few minutes. Hadley even kept Hunter home to be able to talk to his father. That little boy is so cute. It makes me think about what kids Sookie and I would have. I hope to God I get a girl that looks just like my baby. Hell, I know it will be the death of me, but I can't help but think about a little girl with blond pigtails and blue eyes. Yeah, a bit too soon for that, but I can't help myself.

We say our goodbyes. Sookie and I had a private goodbye last night. The images of her coming undone before me is going to be what keeps me going every night until I can see her face again.

The computer is turned off and put away, each of us mentally prepares for what is in store for us. We have done all the planning and training we can do. Now it's up to my men, my team, my unit.

"You doing okay?" Jason asks me.

I look up from my rack and nod. "Yeah, getting my head in the game."

He nods. "I used to have the same look on my face when I was with Crystal."

I tilt my head to the side.

"I know that you are thinking about Sookie. But you need to put it aside, man," he says. "Remy gets the same way about Hadley. I got that way about Crystal, Stan gets that way about Isobel. I get it. You are thinking about getting home to them. But the only way we are getting home to the one's we love is getting our head straight here."

I nod. "I, uh, I ask your father permission to marry your sister."

He shrugs. "I was wondering when you were going to have the balls to ask him. But shit, man, did you have to do it today?"

I shrug back. "I thought it was the right time. Besides, it gives me something to get back too."

"Yeah, well, you best. Cause if Sookie knows you were planning on marrying her and anything happens to you, shit man, we are all in for it."

"She knows," I say to him. "Well, she sort of knows. I haven't exactly hid my intentions."

"Yeah, well, thinking it and knowing it are two different things." He says.

Before I can say anything else, I hear a door open and in walks the Lieutenant.

"Ten HUT!" I bark out.

Everyone snaps to attention.

He looks around the room and rests his eyes on me. "Prepare your men." He says and turns to walk out.

That's it. Now, it's show time.

***0***

SPOV

I busy myself for the rest of the day with last minute preparations for our get together. It really isn't easy getting all these people together in one place. Though there are few less men in the unit, I still extend the invitation to their families. All, that is, except that bitch, Fortenberry. Not that she ever came before and now, she will never have the chance. Yeah, I'm still a little bitter. We didn't get many answers and I don't think we ever will.

I had been trying to get Eric to give me some information on his family so that I could invite them. Every time I tried to mention them, he would brush it off. He did tell me that his Father and his wife live in New York with his sister. The only mention of his mother was that she passed on some time ago. I could tell that he didn't really want to talk about it and I didn't want to push him. He's had so much on his plate lately, I didn't want to upset him.

Getting the emails and facebook group up to date, I see something new in my inbox. I open it and see an address that surprises me. Opening it, I begin to read.

_Hello Miss Stackhouse,_

_I was looking through facebook when I found my brother's name connected with your group. I see that you are coming to New York and I would really like to meet you and other people who know my brother so well. I miss him very much._

_I see that you all will be at the Plaza hotel in three weeks. If it's okay, I'd like to meet you. You seem so kind and the messages going back and forth between you and the other families make me laugh. _

_You can write me back to this address and I promise I will respond. I worry about my brother and if you can tell me he's okay, I'll believe you._

_I hope that I hear back from you._

_Pamela Northman_

Well, speak of the devil and he will appear I guess.


End file.
